Set Fire to the Rain 2
by lilyjack00
Summary: Matt & Kitty continue their adventure where they left off in the original Set Fire to the Rain, heading to Cimarron to collect her long-lost uncle's inheritance, with lots of adventure and intrigue in store.
1. Chapter 1

Set Fire to the Rain 2

This fic is a sequel to the original _Set Fire to the Rain_. Jest in case you didn't figure that out fer yerself already. _This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this fanfiction bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features. Just roll with it.

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Chapter 1: Journey Resumed

Marshall Matt Dillon securely wrapped his long, protective arms around the soft, supple body seated in front of him on Buck's saddle. He leaned into Kitty Russell appreciatively and inhaled her scent—soap and sun-washed cotton and something purely female. But then he sighed and playfully pulled the cloth bonnet further over her slightly sunburnt face, resolving to behave himself for at least the next few hours until they made Cimarron.

Kitty Russell turned her head back awkwardly to peer at Matt from beneath Rosemary Wills' borrowed green cotton bonnet. She grinned at him as he brushed her pink nose with his finger and smiled, "Freckles."

"Don't you dare ever call me that in public, Matt Dillon."

"But you've got 'em everywhere, honey, even on your…"

"That's just about enough outta' you, Mister," she frowned, but her blue eyes sparkled mischievously up at him as he gently tugged the long, heavy, red braid that cascaded down her back.

Kitty leaned gratefully into Matt's reassuring broad chest and was suddenly overwhelmed at the thought of the transformation in their relationship over the past few days due to their shared life-altering experiences. They'd been through so much together—an unexpected inheritance from a long-lost uncle, a raging storm and horrific flood, Matt had been savagely beaten to a bruised pulp…and she'd killed a man.

Even though Sam Keeler had been a despicable specimen of a human being, and he was bent on killing Matt and maybe even Kitty herself, it still haunted her that she'd taken another man's life. Dreadful, frightening dreams of his bloodthirsty, snarling face hovering over Matt's battered form beneath an unrelenting downpour from the lightning-streaked, churning heavens plagued her slumber nightly. The inevitable gut-wrenching conclusion of her own finger infinitesimally pulling the dripping trigger of Matt's rifle to end Sam Keeler's existence on this earth would waken her violently. Matt would pull her close and hold her trembling body, murmuring comfortingly to her as she sobbed broken-heartedly. But with his strong arms cocooning her safely, she would finally drop off to sleep once more, exhausted but also secure in the knowledge that if she had not killed Keeler, Matt would not be alive and lying warm and breathing and whole in the bed next to her.

"How much farther do you think, Matt?" Kitty squeezed the big arms wrapped around her middle, and shivered to think how close she'd come to losing him that black night.

"Not too much longer till we get to Cimarron, Kitty, and your uncle's ranch is supposed to be a little farther upriver. I figure we'll settle in at the hotel and check in with your uncle's lawyer… What was his name?"

"Irving Hepley. He's the executor of the will. He probably has given up hope of ever seeing me. I was supposed to be there days ago."

Matt patted her arm. "I'm sure Cimarron got its share of floodwaters. I bet he'll understand." He pulled up on his horse's reins. "Let's take Buck down the bank here for a drink. My backside could sure use a rest, too."

He jumped down from the horse and grabbed Kitty by the waist, pulling her down so quickly that her stomach lurched and she let out a little squeak of surprise. Her bonnet slipped back off her head as she looked up at him and fussed, "Matt Dillon, you didn't have to go and…"

He shut her up with his full lips impatiently sealing over hers, kissing her long and slow and deep, until she was fairly breathless and woozy and had to hang onto his wide shoulders for support. Matt sure knew how to kiss a girl senseless. He made her positively weak in the knees.

He finally pulled away and said matter-of-factly, "I've been wantin' to do that all mornin'."

"Why, Matt Dillon, just this morning before we left the homestead, we..." She broke off, her cheeks turning pink, and it had nothing to do with the sun or her lost bonnet.

"What?" He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

She pulled her braid over her shoulder and toyed with the end, one eyebrow creeping up, then finally said in exasperation, "Oh…you!"

He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder while she squawked. "You know I can't ever get enough of you, honey." He led Buck by the reins down the steep bank of the river, carrying Kitty on his shoulder while she tossed out an occasional choice swear word under her breath. He thought he could make out the pointedly exasperated phrases, "…not a sack of potatoes" and "…damn well better not reinjure your innards" as he studiously ignored her threats, packing her unceremoniously through the squelchy mud.

He set her down safely on some big rocks by the side of the water beneath the washed-out embankment. Buck had sunk in past his ankles, but he was drinking happily in spite of it. Matt saw that the raging flood had clearly left its mark on the banks of the Arkansas River. But now that the flood waters were receding, all that was left was a giant, furrowed wall of mud, towering some thirty feet from where they stood.

Matt grinned at Kitty as he leaned over to refill his canteen in the cold water and handed it to her to drink first. She snatched it from his hands and shot him a mean look, but she couldn't keep the smile from twitching at the corners of her lips. Drinking deeply, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and handed it back to Matt. She'd found her manners had taken an extreme back seat to other concerns out here on the prairie. Funny thing was, Matt didn't seem to mind in the least. Resting her chin in her hand, she asked thoughtfully, "How much do you think my uncle's ranch will be worth, Matt? Since the flood, I mean?"

Matt refilled his canteen again after drinking his fill and replaced the lid, hanging it back on Buck's saddle. "I don't know, Kitty. It's four hundred acres, according to what I read on the will." He walked back to face her and rested his hands on his narrow hips thoughtfully.

She added worriedly, "But Mr. Bodkin says land values are pretty low around these parts—just five dollars an acre, Matt…"

He interrupted, "But you've also got to consider the added value of the cattle… It's hard to tell. You'll just have to get it assessed before you sell it. That's the only way we'll know for sure."

Kitty's face was still anxious, and Matt stepped closer to put a hand on her cheek. "But don't worry, Kitty. About the money, I mean. I don't care how much, or how little, you get out of the sale of your uncle's ranch. If you don't raise enough to buy half-interest in the Long Branch from Bill Pence, we'll figure out something, I promise."

She gazed up at him, and the look in her eyes nearly broke Matt's heart. He urgently whispered, "No more of that old life for you. Ever again." He repeated, "We'll figure out something." Buck stopped his drinking to whinny and snort in Matt's direction. "See, Kitty, even Buck agrees with me."

Matt leaned over to kiss her, but Buck suddenly reared. Out of the corner of his eye, Matt caught sight of the nearby floodwater-saturated embankment collapsing, a wall of roiling mud surging toward them. He grabbed Kitty's hand and pulled her away, but the wave of mud rolled over them too quickly. The last thing he heard was Kitty's scream.

tbc

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	2. Chapter 2

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this fanfiction bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features or weather-related disasters. Just roll with it. You'll be glad you did.

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Chapter 2: Swallowed

Swirling blackness crashing down, drowning in a sea of heavy, viscous mud, swallowed whole by the unrelenting earth… Matt's lungs screamed for fresh air as he clawed for the surface, disoriented, not really sure which way was up. Digging and swimming and kicking his way to freedom, he burst out of his filthy, clinging prison with a mighty gasp, standing waist deep in the sucking mire.

Buck was safe nearby, lying on his side in a couple of feet of mud, whinnying and struggling to stand. Matt's eyes searched and his fevered mind panicked when he saw no sign of Kitty. Oh dear god, where was she? Precious seconds ticked by as he attempted to wipe the sludge from his burning, streaming eyes, looking, looking everywhere.

His heart lurched when he spied a filthy green piece of cloth beckoning above the surface several feet away. He stumbled and struggled his way toward it and began digging frantically with his bare hands, scratching and clawing his way down, praying for success. At last he found her, ominously still and quiet. He desperately dug some more, hauling her body free of the imprisoning muck. Sticking his fingers in her mouth, he tried to clear her airway, then he turned her over and pounded her back, willing the breath back inside her. "Kitty! Breathe! Breathe for me, honey!" He pounded on her back again, until she coughed and retched foul brown liquid, her body heaving to rid itself of the suffocating poison. She cried out and choked out more of the hateful stuff, and Matt held her and told her it would be alright, that she was safe now.

When her heaving had quieted, he picked her up in his arms, tugging her body from the mire and staggered to safety where they fell down in the grass and lay breathless and entwined in each other's trembling arms, clinging tightly, tears streaking the mud on their exhausted faces.

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	3. Chapter 3

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this fanfiction bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features or post-flood safety procedures.

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Chapter 3: Respite

Kitty attempted to take a deep breath and was rewarded with a hacking cough that felt like it started down in her toes. Matt patted her on the back comfortingly, but she was in no state to be comforted. Every inch of clothing and skin was caked with sticky, filthy, clinging, rapidly drying mud. She had mud in nooks and crannies she didn't even want to think about. She wearily stood and on tugged on Matt's arm.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"We can't go anywhere until we get cleaned up a little bit," she answered tiredly.

"I don't know about this, Kitty…"

"Let's go upriver, over there where the bank's not washed out," she pleaded. "I can't stand this on me another minute."

He grimaced as he sat up, holding his side where Sam Keeler had pummeled his liver.

"Oh, Matt," Kitty sighed. "Are you hurting again?"

"Just a little," he winced as he adjusted his position. "I'm okay, Kitty."

"I'm so sorry, Matt. We'll take it easy. Let me help you up…"

She supported his big frame as best she could as he slowly and stiffly rose. Together they tottered upstream where the bank looked stable. Picking their way carefully into the relatively shallow water, they waded in, shoulder deep. Kitty immediately ducked her head under water and scrubbed the offending mud from her face and neck. She dipped her head backwards into the river and began rinsing her long braid, sighing appreciatively. She noticed Matt simply watching her and urged, "Come on, Marshal, if we're ever gonna' make it to Cimarron, you better get crackin'…" He grinned back at her and began scouring the mud from his face and ears. Kitty waded closer and urged, "Lean back, Cowboy." She ran her fingers through his thick curls, matted with dirt, combing his dark locks through the water until they shone in the sun once more.

Then she began unbuttoning his shirt, slowly peeling the filthy garment from his wide shoulders and rinsing it in the river water until it was as clean as possible, then pitching it with a wet thump to the grassy bank. Matt did the same with her dress. They worked together to unbutton and wrench the mud-coated garment over her head, swishing it through the gentle current until it was relatively clean. It joined Matt's shirt on the riverbank. Next he stripped the thin shift over her uplifted arms. She sighed because the delicate fabric would never be the same again, stained beyond repair. Her corset and pantaloons followed, rinsed and pitched safely to the pile of abandoned clothing.

"Let me help," Matt murmured as she struggled to unravel her long braid. She turned around and let him untangle her hair, running his fingers though it as she leaned her head back, fanning the red tresses out in the water, gently combing until it was clean and shining.

Her hands found the buttons of his pants and worked gently, for fear she would hurt his bruised side further. He stripped his britches off along with his old union suit and sent them sailing to the riverbank. Then she gave a tiny, tired smile as she wiped away a smudge on his cheek, her wet hands sliding down his neck, dipping back into the water to rinse his sturdy chest and shoulders. He felt her hands slipping below the water to slick over his back and stomach and finally settle over his injured right side. She held her hand there, her touch as gentle as the flutter of a butterfly's wings, and looked up into his thick-lashed blue eyes. She tilted her head back in a sweet invitation and he met her halfway, her lips softly brushing his. Then she laid her head against his chest and settled her body against his in the cool, cleansing water. His hands stroked her shoulders, her back and arms, washing away the remnants of their traumatic day, until he finally felt her shuddering with cold.

"Come on, honey, let's get outta here. Your lips are turning blue." He held her hand as they made their way across the slippery bottom and onto the grassy bank, where they spread their clothes out to dry. Then they lay down side by side to dry their skin in the warm sunshine. Another cough wracked Kitty's lungs, and Matt drew her to him, stroking her bare back until they both fell asleep, thankful to be alive and that they still had each other.

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She stirred in her sleep and opened sleepy eyes just a crack. Matt was dressing, slowly pulling his union suit over the large pale greenish-yellow bruise on his side. "I'm going to clean up Buck, Kitty. You need to rest. Go back to sleep." She covered her mouth as she coughed, and then her eyes drifted closed once more as the spring sunshine radiated warmth over her exhausted body.

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Pale gray eyes spied what looked like a mermaid who'd come up from the depths of the Arkansas River onto its banks. Long red hair fanned out, shining like fire in the sunlight. Creamy white skin turning pink, exposed out here on the Kansas prairie like that. She was sound asleep and hadn't heard him approach. Dempsey McCray felt his body start to respond to the sight of such a beauty as he stood there watching her, wondering where his partner had gotten to. He needed to catch up pretty quick—he wouldn't believe this.

"Hold it right there," he heard a deep voice growl from behind him, and a rifle hammer cocked directly behind his back.

tbc

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	4. Chapter 4

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this fanfiction bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features or historical fact. I'm making this stuff up as I go.

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Chapter 4: Back to Civilization

Dempsey McCray slowly raised his hands up as Matt Dillon held Coy Wills' borrowed rifle to his back. "Kitty, wake up!" Matt urgently called and then said roughly to McCray, "Turn around, you bastard."

Sapphire-blue eyes opened sleepily and then widened with a gasp as she caught sight of McCray and then another man leading his horse through the trees downstream. She hurried to stand behind Matt, wrapping her arms around his waist as he continued to point the rifle at both the men.

"Who are you?" Matt demanded. "What's the idea of sneaking up on a defenseless woman like that?" he directed at McCray. Matt's face was thunderous with anger.

"I didn't mean any harm!" McCray protested. I was just out here with my business associate…" He gestured to the well-dressed, gray-haired man leading his horse toward them who urgently questioned, "Mr. McCray? Whatever is the matter? I'm sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding..."

Matt asked over his shoulder, "Kitty, are you alright?"

"Kitty?" The well-dressed man called out curiously. "As in Kitty Russell? Kathleen Russell from Dodge City?" Hepley averted his eyes politely when he was close enough to realize what was going on. "Oh my…"

Matt spoke for her. "Who wants to know?"

"Irving Hepley, Mister…?"

"Marshal. Marshal Matt Dillon."

Hepley spoke hurriedly, clutching his hands together and looking toward the cloudless sky the whole while, "Miss Russell, I do apologize. I am your uncle's lawyer. When you did not show up, I became worried. My associate here, Dempsey McCray, and I just set out this morning looking for you." He cleared his throat as he continued to gaze toward the heavens. "It seems we've found you."

Kitty maintained an embarrassed silence as she peered around Matt's arm at the two men. She whispered to Matt, "Your gun…"

Matt grudgingly lowered the rifle and McCray glanced over his shoulder quickly to get a good look at Kitty, then his face lit in recognition.

"Say, I know you, little gal!"

Hepley placed a cautioning hand on McCray's arm, but he continued. "How could I forget hair like that? And those eyes… Yeah, don't you remember me?"

Kitty's face burned in humiliation, and Matt quickly demanded, "Gentlemen, I need you to clear out of here if you don't mind." He cast a smoldering glance at McCray. "Now."

Hepley stuttered, "Of course, Marshal. I apologize for our manners. We'll head on back to Cimarron now that we've found you. Will you try and catch up?"

"Yeah, Hepley, we'll meet up with you in a little while. We can find our way."

McCray shot one last smirk at Kitty behind the Marshal as he headed back to his horse, and he and Hepley rode away.

Kitty swore vehemently, "Damn that man!" She waited until they were completely out of sight before she let Matt loose, grimacing when she realized what a tight grip she'd had on him. "I didn't hurt your side, did I?"

"No, I'm fine," he grunted. He was plainly put out.

She tiptoed and stretched her arms around his neck. "Are you ashamed of me, Matt?" she whispered. "Are you ashamed to be with me?"

"No, honey," he said softly. "You did what you had to do to survive. This country's hard on women…" he said as he stroked her smooth back, gave her a lingering kiss and then sighed, "Get dressed and let's get on outta here. Daylight's a wastin'."

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"Chin up, Kitty," Matt muttered under his breath as they approached Hepley and McCray on horseback. "Don't let that son-of-a-bitch get the better of you. If he so much as looks at you cross-eyed, Kitty, I swear I'll…"

She looked back at him and quickly kissed his cheek. "You'll do no such thing, Matt Dillon. I can take care of myself."

Matt grumbled under his breath as Buck trotted abreast of the other horses, and he slowed him to a walk.

Hepley smiled, "Ah, I see you made it! Wonderful, we're nearly to Cimarron."

Kitty knew she and Matt both looked like a couple of ragamuffins after their morning ordeal, in their mud-stained, rumpled clothing and tousled hair, but she held her head high and confidently spoke up, "Mr. Hepley, we ran into a lot of trouble on the way. We lost all our belongings and my horse. Marshal Dillon and I have nothing except the clothes on our backs."

McCray's eyes narrowed and she could tell he was about to make an impolite remark, but Matt stared him down, daring him to open his mouth. Matt added, "We've been through a rainstorm, a flood, and just today, a mudslide that could've killed us both. We've gone through a lot to get here, Hepley."

Hepley finally spoke, "Oh my, I had no idea…"

Kitty tucked her long hair behind one ear and continued, "We need money for new clothes and supplies while we're here, Mr. Hepley. Do you think you could arrange a cash advance on my uncle's estate?"

"Most assuredly, Miss Russell. I would be glad to do that for you. I would have suggested that you wire your bank for funds, but I have been told that the telegraph wires are actually down in several locations due to the flooding. I hope that they will be repaired soon, but one never knows."

"Thank you, Mr. Hepley. You're very kind." Kitty felt Matt's hand squeezing her arm reassuringly.

"We'll go straight to the bank, Miss Russell, and then you can either go to the hotel or the mercantile to purchase some supplies." Hepley bowed his head in her direction. "I'm so sorry that you've had such difficulty on your journey. Mr. McCray and I shall do our utter best to see that your stay in Cimarron is uneventful."

McCray's eyes narrowed at her. "Yeah," he smiled. "I'll see to it…"

tbc

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	5. Chapter 5

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this fanfiction bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features or historical fact. I'm making this stuff up as I go.

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Chapter 5: Cimarron

Kitty rubbed the pastel orange fabric between her fingers admiringly. It was a simple dress, modest enough to wear to Sunday service, but serviceable and delicately pretty to boot.

"The color suits you." Kitty started as a deep yet soft-spoken voice came from behind her.

She turned to face kind, brown eyes beneath a dark Stetson. A young man with a shy smile and straight, white teeth was looking at her with his hands in his pockets. She noticed his pistol and gun belt immediately. His neat, clean appearance made her self-conscious about her mud-stained dress and unbound hair as she stood in Simms' Cimarron Mercantile looking for some quick purchases to get her through the next couple of days: two dresses and underwear, a new pair of shoes and toiletries, perhaps a nightdress. Matt was selecting clothing for himself at the back of the store with Mr. Simms. Thankfully, Mrs. Simms had been able to help Kitty find what she needed as well.

She felt herself at a definite disadvantage without her pretty clothes or paint. But this young man seemed to take no notice. She answered, "Do you think so? I wasn't sure, what with my hair color and all." Kitty laughed self-deprecatingly.

His smile lit up his eyes. "Oh, I think it will look just fine. I can't imagine any dress you choose not looking pretty on you, Miss."

His pleasant manner and charming compliments put her at ease about her unkempt appearance. "Why, thank you, Mr…?"

"I apologize." He held out his hand. "Ware. Virgil Ware. And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

She took note of his softly drawling Southern accent as she took his hand. "Kitty Russell, Mr. Ware."

"Oh please, call me Virgil. Nobody calls me Mr. Ware." He scrubbed a hand over his cheek ruefully, but grinned and loosened her hand at last.

"I must apologize for my appearance, Mr…"

"Virgil."

"Virgil…" she smiled, and her cheeks turned a little pink as she looked down at her dress, "but I have come through some bad weather to get here."

Ware looked taken aback. "You mean you were out in the storm when it hit? Whereabouts were you traveling from?"

"Dodge City. It should only have taken a day to get here, but unfortunately…"

"I can imagine, Miss. I'm sorry that you had such a hard time, but I hope your stay in Cimarron will be more pleasant." Virgil Ware withdrew a gold watch at the end of a chain from his pocket and flipped open the cover. "Miss Russell, I wish that I could stay and talk with you longer, but I have an appointment to keep. Will you be in town long?"

"A couple of days I suspect."

"I hope to see you around town, then." He chuckled and added, "It's a new town, and very small, so we won't be able to avoid seeing each other." Kitty knew what he was talking about. Everywhere she looked was new construction, and every building she entered smelled of new-sawn boards and fresh paint. The town had recently been built at the head of the shorter, dry route of the Santa Fe Trail divide.

Virgil reached out to shake her hand again with his shy smile, and Kitty was struck by the thought of how nice he had been to her, even without all her saloon girl trappings. And she looked a mess to boot! She returned his handshake and said goodbye, then turned with a sigh to choose two dresses before she went to find Matt and make sure he had selected that new union suit she'd insisted he buy.

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Kitty sat wearily on the edge of her hotel bed in the new ivory dressing gown she had splurged on at Simms', waiting for Matt's door to close for the last time signifying that the tub she'd had sent to his room was at long last full of hot water. She peeped her head out to make sure the coast was clear, then tapped quietly next door. Matt jerked his door open quickly, his mouth opening with surprise when he saw it was her. Quick as a wink, she slipped in without being invited, smiling up at him as she pecked him affectionately on the cheek.

He grinned. "Hey, Kitty, I was just gettin' ready to take a bath."

"Yeah?" she said, sashaying over to the window. "Me too." She closed the heavy drapes for some privacy since they were on the first floor.

Matt's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "You were, too, huh?"

She stood next to the tub with her hands on her dressing gown sash and looked at him expectantly. "Yep."

"You mean…" His voice rose a notch. "...with me?"

She untied her sash and let the dressing gown fall in a puddle to the floor. "What do you say, Marshal Dillon?"

Wordlessly, Matt hastily began unbuttoning his shirt.

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Matt finished pouring a pitcher of clean water over Kitty's soapy hair, and she sighed happily, wrapping her legs around his waist and settling her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart beating a steady, comforting rhythm. His big hands stroked her slick back and he pressed her closer to him, reveling in the feel of her bare breasts against his body. They sat entwined like that for a long time, until Matt at last broke the silence. "Who was that fella' I saw you talking with at the mercantile, Kitty?"

Her lips curled into a quiet smile. "Oh, no one, really. Just a nice man."

Matt grunted a wordless response and trailed his fingers up and down her arm until she had goosebumps.

"Why?"

"Oh, no reason… I just saw you talking is all…"

She looked contemplatively up at Matt and revealed, "Matt, that man was really nice to me. And I looked terrible. My clothes were a mess, and my hair stringy and no paint. Can you imagine a man paying attention to me when I look a fright?" Kitty coughed a little, a remnant of their morning adventure on the riverbank. Had it only been hours since they'd both been buried alive in mud?

Matt held his palm to her cheek and looked into her big blue eyes and laughed quietly. "Kitty, honey, you're pretty as a picture no matter what you look like."

"But, Matt, my clothes were raggedy and my hair…"

"Kitty, it's not just your pretty face and figure…" He sighed in exasperation. "It's hard for me to explain. You're not just beautiful on the outside."

She bit her bottom lip as he spoke. Matt was a man of few words and she held her breath just listening to him. He realized she was waiting patiently for him to continue, so he stumbled out, "…Kitty, you're the smartest, nicest… and honest… Honesty is very important to me." He blew out a breath. "You're just a good, caring person, inside and out. What man wouldn't want to pay you attention? Even if you were covered in mud?" He laughed and she laughed and he brushed his lips over hers as she hastily wiped a tear that'd slipped from the corner of her eye. Then she shivered in the cooling bathwater, so Matt resignedly stood up, pulling her with him and wrapping a towel around her, saying, "We'd better go get something to eat before the restaurant closes. It's pretty late."

Kitty wrapped her arms gratefully around Matt's neck, her voice muffled against his damp chest, "I'll go anywhere you want me to, Matt Dillon."

tbc

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	6. Chapter 6

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. The locations/events in this story bear absolutely no resemblance to actual Kansas geographical features or historical fact. And canon be damned. I'm making this stuff up as I go. That's what the "fic" in "fanfiction" is all about, buckaroos.

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Chapter 6: Burning Nights

Matt lay in his hotel room bed alone, gloomily wondering if Kitty were doing the same thing next door. They'd closed down Corky's Café, staying until Corky himself good-naturedly told them it was time to 'mosey on back to the ranch.' It'd just been so nice, sitting with Kitty in a restaurant, undisturbed by shootings or robberies or barroom brawls. They'd enjoyed the whole meal and had two extra cups of coffee each without Chester loping in hollering, "Mr. Dillon!" and dragging him away. Not once.

He'd loved talking and laughing with Kitty and being able to openly admire her in her pretty new yellow dress with little white ruffles around the neckline and sleeves. He was so pleased she still wasn't bothering to cover her natural beauty with paint, and that he could enjoy her freckles beneath those sparkling sapphire eyes. The pale freckles on her nose kinda drove him crazy, truth be told, because they led his eyes in a speckled line down her neck and chest and…and he knew for a fact exactly how far they extended. He'd taken another hot swallow of coffee and consoled himself that they were going back to the hotel later. He sincerely hoped he'd get a chance to enjoy Kitty's natural beauty firsthand again soon…

But, unfortunately, when they'd come back to the hotel, the clerk was planted firmly in the lobby watching their every move. Kitty had squeezed Matt's hand and said under her breath, "Goodnight, Marshal Dillon." Then as she disappeared behind her closed door she blew him a silent kiss.

So here he was, tossing and turning and lying alone, feeling sorry for himself. They'd only been sleeping together a few nights, but already he missed the warmth of her soft body next to his, the smell of her hair wrapped around his throat, the feel of her breath as she pillowed her head on his shoulder with his arms enveloping her. He hadn't been kidding when he'd told her earlier today that he couldn't get enough of her. He'd been lying awake for two hours now with no sign of sleep on the way. He couldn't get Kitty's smooth, creamy skin, her ripe lips, perfect for kissing, or her raucously infectious laugh out of his head. Matt punched his pillow and turned over once again, trying to find a comfortable position. He was afraid it was going to be a long night.

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Something woke Matt. Dammit, he'd finally managed to fall asleep, and now here he was awake again in the middle of the night. But what had roused him? He scrubbed a hand tiredly over his stubbly face and then listened. He couldn't hear anything... But…it was a smell. Was someone in the lobby smoking? At this hour? His lawman's instincts bade him check it out. He kicked his way clear of his tangled sheets and slipped on his pants hurriedly, then peered out into the lobby, dimly lit by only one lamp. The smell was quite strong here, but there wasn't a soul around, not even the desk clerk. He peered down the hallway to Kitty's door, and his heart nearly stopped.

An eerie orange light glowed from beneath her door, and black fingers of smoke curled slowly upward. Matt immediately began yelling for help, calling "Fire, fire!" all the while yanking his boots on his feet. He ran back to her door, steadying himself, then gritted his teeth and kicked with all his might. The door burst open with a blast of fiery heat and smoke. Matt covered his face with his arms and jumped back as burning splinters and flames flew past. Squinting his streaming eyes, he agonized as precious seconds ticked past while he waited for the smoke to clear. Finally, he was able to rush headlong into the inferno.

Luckily, the room was small and the bed easy to find. She was still asleep, or maybe unconscious-he was not sure which. Matt shook her shoulders, and she roused groggily, her eyes widening when she saw the flames licking around her. "Come on, Kitty," he coughed. "I've got to get you out of here! Wrap your arms around me!" Matt hurriedly folded the quilt around her body and easily scooped her into his arms, clutching her tightly to him. He carried her out the door into the lobby, then dashed outside.

Townspeople were starting to gather, hotel guests were running outside alongside him, and a bucket brigade had already begun. The fire seemed to be concentrated in only one area, Kitty's room. He couldn't see the building burning anywhere else. Coughing the suffocating smoke from his lungs, he collapsed wearily on the grass beside the hotel and cradled an unconscious Kitty in his arms. She was breathing, he told himself. She was still breathing.

He raked her hair out of her eyes and urged, "Kitty, wake up, honey." He anxiously stroked her cheeks and then her arms. "Wake up, Kitty." Her eyes opened at last, bright blue against her black soot-smudged face. Matt gave a mirthless laugh and hugged her to him. "You don't have to talk right now, Kitty. Just lie still." Her only response was a deep cough that shook her whole body.

Just then a man approached, crouching beside them, and his eyes blinked in recognition when he looked at Kitty's face. "My name is Ware, Virgil Ware. I'm the sheriff here in Cimarron. I hope that Miss Russell is not seriously injured."

Kitty tried to sit up. "I'm alright," she whispered hoarsely, then started coughing again.

"Oh, no you don't, Kitty," Matt said sternly. "You just lie back until we get the doctor to look at you."

Sheriff Ware spoke, "And you are…?"

"Matt Dillon. U.S. Marshal. Sorry I don't have my badge on me right now."

"That's perfectly understandable, Marshal Dillon. And Miss Russell is your…?" he asked curiously.

"Traveling companion. I was escorting her here from Dodge on a business trip when the big storm hit. The whole trip has pretty much been one disaster after another, to tell the truth. Do you have a doctor here in town?"

"Yes, we do…" Ware looked hesitant, but then continued, "Dr. Henry Crandall's office is right down the street. We can take Miss Russell there now. I think they've nearly got the fire put out since it was confined to one area."

Ware shouted to a deputy that he would return later, and he walked alongside Matt while he carried Kitty down the street.

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From the deep shadows of a nearby alley, cold gray eyes watched as the two lawmen took the red-headed saloon girl from Dodge to the doctor's office. If Crandall's track record was any indication, she wouldn't stand much of a chance. He couldn't help but think it was a waste of a pretty whore, but, truth be told, she wasn't much of a whore. His face burned when he remembered how she acted with him. Like she was too good to touch him... The other girls would do what he asked. Not her… But she sure did manage to take her clothes off in a hurry for that big marshal. Well, she wouldn't be able to turn him down anymore, the little bitch. She was getting what she deserved…

tbc

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	7. Chapter 7

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. Don't try any of this stuff at home, kids.

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Chapter 7: Rx

"Right here, Marshall," Sheriff Ware said as they approached a narrow building with darkened windows. Ware knocked on the door. They waited.

"Matt," a weak voice came from within the confines of the blanket. "I think…I can walk." He held her tightly while she coughed again.

"Honey, you don't need to even be talking right now. You breathed in an awful lot of smoke."

Virgil Ware's eyes shot to Matt at his familiar address of Kitty. He cleared his throat and beat on the door harder. A crash sounded from within. Sheriff Ware called out, "Doctor Crandall, we've got an injured patient for you." More scrabbling noise from inside the room and then a lamp was lit. The door finally opened a crack. A tall, wiry man with gaunt features opened the door unsteadily.

Matt's eyes widened at the sight of him. He wasn't too sure about this. The man looked…drunk.

When Crandall spotted the sheriff, he gave a sigh and opened the door wider. "Come in."

He gestured to an examining table and scrubbed a hand over his drawn features. "Just lay the patient there, please." The doctor's trembling hand reached for his stethoscope on the desk, then he walked slowly and deliberately to where Kitty laid, violent coughs wracking her body. Matt held her hand while the doctor listened to her lungs and heart. He placed a steadying hand on the examining table and pronounced wearily, "Smoke inhalation, pure and simple. Take her home."

Ware and Matt looked at him expectantly. Crandall waved an arm over Kitty and said, "She needs plenty of rest. Keep her quiet..."

"That's it?" Matt asked incredulously. "Can't you do something for her?"

"I could…" Doctor Crandall sighed. "I could… give her a little laudanum…to quiet that cough, but other than that, there's not much to do."

Ware gripped his arm as Matt continued, "Doctor, you gotta help us. Kitty needs a doctor's care until she's feeling better."

Doctor Crandall began, "But, I assure you, there's very little…"

Interrupting quietly, Ware insisted, "Come on, Doc, you've got the room…"

Taking a step closer to the doctor, Matt continued, "I'll stay right here by her side."

Ware added, "Doc, I'd consider it a personal favor if you'd keep an eye on her for just tonight. I'm sure the young lady will be better in the morning, and we'll be on our way."

The doctor's arms hung limply at his sides, and he sighed resignedly, "Very well. I'll start by giving her a dose of laudanum. Then she'll be able to rest more easily."

As Crandall medicated his patient, Ware turned to Matt and said quietly, "I've got to go back and take a look at that fire. Do you know how it started?"

Matt raked his fingers through his hair. "No, I just smelled smoke and saw the fire under her door. It was coming from inside her room."

"Lamp knocked over?"

"I didn't notice. I was too busy trying to get her out of there."

"Well, you tend to Miss Russell. I'll go look over her room. See if I can figure out what happened. And I'll be back to check on how she's doing later, alright?"

Matt stuck out his hand. "Thanks, Ware. I appreciate all you've done."

Crandall announced with bleary eyes, "There now. She should be able to sleep. And that's where I'm going, too. Back to bed." He scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here's her prescribed dosage for the next few hours. I'll check on her in the morning. Good night, sir."

Matt accepted the paper and watched in amazement as Doctor Crandall closed his bedroom door behind him. Doc would have a conniption fit. Pulling a chair closer to Kitty's bedside, he murmured, "How do you feel, Kitty?" He took her hand in his.

"Sleepy," she whispered, and then her eyes closed.

Matt panicked at first, but then he laid a hand on her chest and felt her steady, even breathing. She was just sleeping, an effect of the laudanum Crandall had given her.

He settled in the chair beside Kitty and waited.

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Matt woke with a start when someone knocked on the door. His neck ached from being bent at an angle for far too long. The gray light of dawn was coming through the front windows. Matt hobbled stiffly out of his seat and opened the front door. "Come on in, Sheriff Ware. I fell asleep for a while." He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "What did you find out?"

"Well, Marshal, I don't think that fire was an accident."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked as he rubbed his neck.

"There was a strong smell of kerosene not only on the door, but on the window as well. Like someone had poured a large amount in those areas. Somebody didn't want Miss Russell to get out of that room alive."

"Why would someone wanna' do that? We're strangers in town."

"I don't know, Marshal. You tell me."

Matt stared at Virgil Ware, but he didn't know the answer to that question. Could someone who had a grudge against him have spotted him here in Cimarron and tried to take his spite out on Kitty?

Matt scratched his head and turned to check on her. It was nearly time for her dose of laudanum. "Kitty…" He touched her shoulder. She was sweating. He put a hand on her forehead and tried to wake her, but she didn't respond. Matt looked in alarm at Ware. "She's burning up with fever. We need the doctor."

Ware hurried to Crandall's door and knocked loudly. No answer. Matt opened the door and strode to the bed. Crandall lay passed out with an empty bottle of laudanum in his hand.

tbc

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	8. Chapter 8

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not a doctor, and none of the medical information used in this chapter is accurate or remotely sensible. But I assure you I did it all for the sake of good drama. Oh, and don't get me started on the geographical inaccuracies….

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Chapter 8: Sick Kitty

Matt anxiously shook the limp form of the unconscious doctor, but there was no response beyond his maddening snoring. "Dammit, he's passed out!" Matt exclaimed in disgust as he retrieved the empty laudanum bottle, gingerly sniffing it.

Ruefully, Ware shook his head. "I was afraid something like this would happen. Crandall's not very reliable, unfortunately. I'm sorry, Dillon. I don't know what to tell you."

"Kitty's burning up with fever!" Matt ran a hand through his hair worriedly and glanced back at Kitty's perspiring face, her body shivering with chills beneath the bedclothes. "What am I going to do? Is there another doctor in town?" Matt began noisily rifling through cabinets and bureaus around the room searching for extra blankets.

"No, I'm afraid there isn't," Ware jammed his hands helplessly in his pockets. "Probably the closest doctor is in…"

"Dodge," Matt finished for him, puffing out a discouraged sigh. "But the telegraph wires are down because of the flood. It would take a day to ride to Dodge for Doc and another day to get him back here." Matt lowered his voice, "Kitty could die by then." He spread a warm quilt over Kitty and tucked it snugly around her.

"Tell you what. I'll check at the telegraph office to see if the wires have been repaired. You write down what you want sent. If the wires are still down, I'll ride to Dodge and get your doctor."

Matt looked at him hard. "You sure, Ware?"

"Absolutely," Ware answered with conviction. "You need to stay here and take care of Miss Russell. I'll be glad to help out in any way I can."

"I appreciate it, Sheriff." Matt hurried to Dr. Crandall's desk and rummaged until he located a scrap of paper and a pencil, hastily scratching out a note, "TO DR GALEN ADAMS DODGE CITY STOP KITTY SICK WITH FEVER STOP COME TO CIMARRON IMMEDIATELY STOP SIGNED MATT DILLON" Matt folded the paper and handed it to Ware. "I sure hope Western Union's lines are back up. The sooner we get word to Doc, the sooner we can get him here." The quick glance he gave the sheriff was pleading. "Please hurry, Ware."

The sheriff looked into Dillon's agitated features. "I'll take care of it right away, Marshal. I know the young lady must mean a lot to you."

Matt averted his eyes self-consciously as Ware quickly headed out the door. Then Matt started looking for a pan to put some cool water in and a cloth to bathe Kitty's fevered skin. It would be a long wait for Doc.

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Doc was busy making placebos for old Mrs. Elma Prudlin who lived down by Silver Creek. In the ten years he'd known Mrs. Prudlin, he'd never seen a healthier specimen of a human being. But she was a supreme hypochondriac of the highest order. It was easier just to give her foolin' pills than to argue with her about her nonexistent symptoms. Just then, someone banged on his door urgently.

Doc called, "Come in!" Under his breath he muttered irritably, "…before you tear my dadblamed door down…"

Chester burst through the door and stood with his hand on his chest, catching his breath.

Doc shook his head. "Chester, I might have known it was you. What on earth…?"

"Doc, it's Miss Kitty..." Chester exclaimed excitedly.

Doc's ears perked up at Kitty's name. "What is it?" he worriedly asked.

"Well, I just got this here." Chester held out a telegram. "Barney down to the telegraph office asked me t' bring it to ya' quick."

Doc adjusted his glasses on his nose and read the message. His eyes widened and his face paled a bit. "Good heavens…" he murmured. "Kitty must be awful sick if Matt is askin' for help."

Chester quickly nodded, pressing his lips in a tight, worried line. "Yep, that's what I figgered, Doc. You want me t' git yer horse from Moss Grimmick's?"

Doc's eyes narrowed as he scrubbed at his mustache. "I'd appreciate that, Chester." He grabbed his black medical bag and began hurriedly packing supplies. "And I want you to send a telegram to Matt for me. I'll write down what I want you to send…"

"Sure thing, Doc. Anything else I kin do, you jes lemme know."

Doc grunted wordlessly as he grabbed a stubby pencil and a slip of paper and urgently began scrawling.

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_Drowning, desperately struggling for air. Gasping, panting for breath that refuses to come. Coughing until there's nothing but an awful ache left in my lungs. It feels like something terribly heavy is sitting on my chest… Matt, please get it off me. Can't breathe… Matt? Where are you?_

"_I'm here, Kitty. You're okay. Just breathe slowly. That's it. You've sweated through your nightgown and sheets. Let's get this off you. Raise your arms for me. "_

_Crisp, dry sheets on hot, hurting skin. Cool cloth against feverish face. Eyes burning, throat scorched, chest leaden. I am chilled to the bone. Shaking and shivering and can't stop. Matt lays another blanket on top of me and pulls it up to my chin. Matt will take care of me. I feel myself sinking into the bed, so, so heavy, and then my world darkens…_

"_Kitty, wake up and take this for me. Doc wired me that quinine will help bring your fever down. I know it tastes bad… Good girl. Now lie back and rest… Here, let me cover you back up. Are you warm? Do you need another blanket? I promise Doc will be here soon. He's on his way, honey, just hold on..."_

_Cool, wet rag strokes my neck, my chest, my arms, my hands. Matt's voice rumbles comforting words low in my ear. He never leaves. He stays with me. He knows I need him. I wish I could stop coughing. I wish I could breathe. Why won't this end? Matt, will you hold my hand? Peaceful blackness slips over me yet again, a dark fog that pulls me down and down and won't let me go... But through it all Matt's strong fingers lace in mine and hold on…_

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"_Young lady, I need you to drink this for me."_

_Doc. His strong arm encircles my shoulders, supporting me. I cough at the bitter taste. He gently pats my back. "Kitty, let's prop you up on some pillows so maybe you can breathe a little better." I can feel Doc's cold stethoscope on my chest. He listens and listens some more. I hear his voice. Then Matt's. Whispering… He says something about my heart… And digitalis... What is that? My chest hurts._

_When I cough, there is a sharp knife stabbing hatefully inside me. Doc holds me again and touches my wrist with his fingers. "Easy, honey. Now I need you to drink this down, too. I know it tastes bad, but you've got to take it to get better."_

_More vile medicine burns a fiery path down my raw throat. It chokes me and I don't think I can keep it down. _

_Matt carefully holds a glass of water to my lips and whispers soothingly as I try to swallow it. I love him so. He takes such good care of me. I don't understand why he's so good to me. Then blackness engulfs my world once more…_

_Sam Keeler eerily looms over Matt's battered body, ugly fist clenched, eager to punch him again. Jagged streaks of lightening reveal Matt's bruised and bloodied face to my horrified gaze, one eye swollen shut as he looks to me in excruciating pain. I throw myself across Matt's chest before Keeler can strike, but he grabs me with one beefy hand and hurls me to the ground like a rag doll into the mud, nearly knocking the wind out of me. "Kitty," Matt groans. "Help me… Help me… Please…" He beseechingly reaches out to me, thunder rolling in my ears, and calls my name again as Keeler smashes his hammy fist into Matt's swollen eye. Suddenly, I look down and there is a rifle in my hands, water streaming down the barrel. I see my finger pulling the trigger... A dead man falls at my feet… Empty eyes staring at me… _

"_Shhhh…. It's okay, honey, it's okay… You're just having another bad dream." Matt is holding me to his chest, stroking my damp hair and soothingly rubbing my perspiring back. "You're soaking wet again." He calls over his shoulder. "Doc, I need some more dry sheets."_

_Matt bathes me with a clean, damp cloth and tells me that Sam Keeler is gone forever. He can't bother us ever again. I feel the cool air brush sweetly over my heated skin as they change the bedding I've sweated through. Matt lightly caresses my face as my glassy eyes wearily drift closed. I last thing I hear is Matt murmuring to Doc about a black night on the prairie, a night I'll never forget as long as I live…_

tbc

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	9. Chapter 9

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not a doctor, and none of the medical procedures used in this chapter should be attempted at home. Someone could get an eye put out.

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Chapter 9: Awakening

Kitty felt a weight pressing on her stomach. Cracking open her heavy eyelids, she detected the gray light of dawn in the room and the accompanying chirping of birds outside as they woke to start a new day. Lifting her head a bit, she discovered the weight on her belly was a curly mop of brown hair and long, heavy arms. Gently snoring, Matt Dillon was perched on a straight-backed chair drawn close to her bedside, sprawled asleep atop her body. If she'd had enough energy, she would've smiled at the sight, but as it were, she simply let her head drop back on the pillow in utter fatigue. She turned her gaze to see Doc slumbering in a very uncomfortable-looking chair, propped against the wall in a corner of the room, suit rumpled, collar undone and tie dangling.

Even in her exhausted state, her heart swelled at the kindness of these two wonderful men in her life, caring for her and staying by her side in her time of need. She realized with a very great certainty that belied blood ties-these men were her family. She gave a tiny sigh of contentment, laying her hand atop Matt's head, threading her fingers in his unruly curls while her eyes drifted closed again, joining him in quiet, healing rest.

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When she awoke again, it was to the smell of coffee brewing and the gentle murmuring of low, familiar voices. Kitty stirred a little as she opened her sunken eyes, and Matt and Doc were at her side in an instant.

Doc said affectionately, "Mornin', Sleeping Beauty…" He winked at her and gently placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse. "I'm so glad you're back with us… Your fever finally broke late last night."

Matt asked worriedly, "How do you feel, Kitty?"

Her voice came out sounding strange to her own ears, hoarse and frail, "Like I been rode hard and put away wet…"

Both men smiled in relief at her humorous reply.

Doc chuckled, "That's my girl." He tugged at his ear. "You just complain all you want, young lady. That way I know you're gonna be all right."

Matt sighed in relief, "You sure had us worried there for a while, Kitty."

Kitty then noticed the beard growth on Matt's and Doc's unshaven faces and asked in wonder, "How long have we been here?"

It was Matt who answered. "Three days."

"Three days?" Her dark-circled eyes opened wider. "It couldn't be…"

Doc interjected, "Kitty, you were a sick girl. You have pneumonia, complicated by the fact that you've inhaled a lot of completely inappropriate substances lately…" He glanced at Matt. "…like mud…and smoke…" He scrubbed at his mustache and suddenly turned away so that she couldn't see his face.

"Pneumonia?"

Matt answered, "Yeah, Doc says it may take another week for you to feel like even gettin'outta bed, Kitty."

"A week? What am I gonna do?" Her throat was so sore. It felt like she'd been swallowing glass.

Doc's voice was firm. "You are not going to worry about anything, Kitty. We'll figure something out."

Matt added, "I don't wanna take you back to that hotel. That's for sure. And it was the only hotel in town." He paced to the front window and looked out. "We could just stay here. But I don't know when the doctor who owns this place might show up again…"

"Show up?" Kitty felt like all she was doing was repeating Matt and Doc, but it was just all so overwhelming.

Matt explained in disgust, "He was intoxicated when I brought you in. Laudanum, I think. Passed out, absolutely no good to anyone, which is why I wired for Doc to come here." He walked back to her bedside. "When he came to, he took off and I haven't seen hide nor hair of 'im since."

She noticed the muscle working in his jaw like it did when he was angry. She responded weakly, "Oh…" Kitty didn't know what to say. She couldn't imagine Doc ever doing such a thing. It made her appreciate him all the more.

She heard Doc muttering ominously from the other side of the room about unethical medical practitioners and hanging wasn't good enough…

She had a sudden thought and nearly sat up, but her feeble body wouldn't let her. "What about the ranch?"

"What?" Matt scratched at his unkempt hair.

"My uncle's ranch? Do you think we could stay there?" She coughed and the action was accompanied by a severe pain in her ribs, like she'd been kicked by a horse. Matt's hand touched her shoulder, but she shook her head. "I'm fine, Matt. But really, you two need a decent place to rest. I won't have you sleeping in chairs on account of me…" She began coughing again in earnest, and Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up a little.

Matt said anxiously, "Doc, is it time for her to take some more medicine for her cough?"

Doc looked at his pocket watch and shook his head. "Not yet." But he piled a couple more pillows behind her to elevate her chest and ease the coughing. "Matt, why don't you ride out to the Pierce ranch and check things out? Maybe get the key from the lawyer, Hepley, I believe his name is. I'll get Kitty to eat something while you're gone."

Kitty was rapidly tiring, and the thought of food didn't interest her at all. She closed her eyes and said in a near whisper, "Please, Matt. Do it for me. I know the house has more than one bedroom. You'd be so much more comfortable."

Matt took her hand in his and squeezed reassuringly. "Alright, Kitty. I'll be back soon. You be sure and eat something, you hear?"

But Kitty was half asleep already. "Mmm…" was all she managed to say before her chest rose and fell evenly and reassuringly in the cadence of sleep.

Doc said quietly, "She's right, you know. It's going to take several days for her to recuperate. She'll do a lot better if we're all settled someplace a little more comfortable than this."

Matt looked anxiously at Kitty, whom he'd been afraid he would lose the last few days. It was all too fresh in his mind.

Doc urged, "She'll be fine, Matt. I promise I'll take good care of her for you." Doc gave him a piercing look. He had been able to tell from the moment he'd walked into the sickroom two days ago that there had been a definite change in Matt and Kitty's relationship since they'd left Dodge. What that entailed was none of his business, but he was happy for them nonetheless. He loved them both dearly and had hoped they'd both come to their senses someday and realize they loved each other, too.

Doc slapped Matt comfortingly on the shoulder and vigorously nodded his head. "Go on, now. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll get back."

"Alright, Doc. I hear ya'. You just take good care of her for me…" And he strode out the door with a surreptitious backward glance at the red-headed patient slumbering peacefully in the small bed.

tbc

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	10. Chapter 10

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Keep a careful lookout for handy household hints for prairie living, and then just ignore them entirely.

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Chapter 10: Wagon Ride

The swaying wagon jolted teeth-jarringly over the unending sea of grass until Kitty couldn't wait to arrive at her uncle's ranch, in spite of the fact that Matt and Doc had padded the bed with as many blankets, quilts and pillows that they could rustle up. Doc sat in back with her, holding her hand but using it as an excuse to surreptitiously take her pulse from time to time. Solomon Pierce's ranch was only a few miles out of town, but it seemed to her it was taking an eternity to get there. She idly wondered if this was what it felt like to be on an ocean voyage, rolling and rocking and jerking this way and that. Doc looked down at her weary face, laying a hand on her cheek, and said sympathetically, "We'll be there soon, honey, and then we'll get you into a nice, soft bed." He peered up at Matt in the driver's seat and raised his voice to be heard over the racket of the creaking, lurching wagon. "It won't be much longer, right, young fella'?"

Matt called back to them, pointing, "It's just beyond those trees. The ranch is pretty close to the Arkansas. Not long now, I promise." He glanced worriedly at Kitty's drawn face and wished he could speed the horses, but he knew it would just jostle her more. So he kept the team slow and steady for her sake.

He'd spent a good part of the day preparing for their unexpected trip. After retrieving the key and getting directions from Hepley, he'd ridden several miles out of town to Kitty's uncle's ranch. First he'd explored the house and surrounding buildings to see what supplies were available and decide what they might need for at least a week's stay. He'd even thought to scout out a nice bedroom and clean sheets for Kitty so the bed would be made and ready for her as soon as they arrived. The food and other supplies that he purchased with some of Kitty's inheritance money were loaded in the back of the wagon alongside Doc and Kitty, securely covered and tied down tightly.

Matt had sent word to Irving Hepley the day after the fire that Kitty was ill. In return, Hepley assured Matt that he would do anything in his power to help Miss Russell. The bank could advance them any funds needed, and Matt was to send for Dempsey McCray who could get them money and even deliver food to Dr. Crandall's office. Matt didn't like the idea of McCray getting anywhere near Kitty after their initial meeting on the riverbank, but he didn't have much of a choice since he had to stay with Kitty, and they had to have those things. So, he'd settled for meeting McCray at the door whenever he'd made his deliveries and not letting the despicable man set foot inside. McCray made his skin crawl, his shifty eyes darting to get a glimpse of Kitty beyond the door, but Matt always gritted his teeth and blocked his view by moving his own broad form in front of him…the no good son-of-a-bitch.

Afterwards, when Matt was packed and ready to head to the ranch, he carried Kitty out of Dr. Crandall's office, bundled carefully in a blanket, and laid her gently in the wagon bed. Giving a last little reassuring squeeze of her hand in his, he waited for Doc to clamber up beside her before he climbed atop the bench in front and flicked the reins with an anxious backward glance at his convalescing passenger.

That had been an hour ago. Kitty held her sore ribs as she coughed and prayed that their journey would soon end. Finally, as if her prayers had suddenly been answered, Matt called out, "Whoa!" to the horses, and the wagon slowed and came to a jerking stop. Kitty wanted to sit up and look around, but she simply didn't have the strength. Doc patted her hand, saying, "You lie still. We'll be right back," as he climbed down in the rear. She closed her eyes tiredly, listening to them talking and then the sound of the front screen door squeaking open.

Suddenly, she felt Matt's strong arms scoop her up as if she weighed nothing and hold her close to him. She wearily laid her head against his chest as he carried her onto the porch of the white frame house and through the front door. She could feel the rumble of his voice reverberating in her ear as Matt murmured to her, "I've got your bed all ready for you." She sighed in exquisite relief as he lowered her onto a blissfully soft featherbed covered in clean white sheets with a yellow flowered quilt on top. Doc propped pillows behind her back while Matt tucked her in like a mother hen. Her eyelids felt so heavy, she didn't know how much longer she could manage to stay awake.

Doc gave her one final order, "Sleep, young lady." Then he said gruffly to Matt, "Don't you stay too long, you hear? My patient needs her rest." Doc gave Kitty a little wink and closed the door behind him.

Kitty smiled sleepily at Matt, and he could stand it no longer. He bent low and brushed his lips over hers in the tenderest of kisses, cradling her pale face infinitely gently in his big, calloused hands. He felt her quick intake of breath and pulled back to see her intense blue eyes gazing at him earnestly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For taking such good care of me."

"Why wouldn't I take good care of you, Kitty?" He drew a deep breath and added a bit shyly, "I love you." He still wasn't used to saying those words and it didn't come easily to him.

Her eyes filled with tears at his utter kindheartedness and gentleness. She felt overwhelmed at the notion that someone could care for her so much. She'd been fending for herself for so long now. So long… The thought made her bone-weary. Suddenly she yawned and Matt started to rise. Kitty drew his hand to her chest, holding it over her heart, and whispered hoarsely, "Don't leave me yet. Sit with me until I fall asleep. Please, Matt…"

He brushed a blazing lock of hair off her smooth forehead, pale beneath a sprinkling of freckles, and reassured her softly, "I'll sit with you as long as you want, honey. You just rest. I'll be right here..."

tbc

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	11. Chapter 11

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. None of the 19th Century practical living skills described in this chapter should be relied on as even vaguely accurate.

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Chapter 11: Fox in the Henhouse

Doc shuffled over to Kitty's bedroom door and cracked it, peeping carefully inside, almost afraid of what he might find. He might've known. Instead of spending the night in the spare bedroom with him, Matt had fallen asleep atop the covers on the bed next to Kitty, boots and all, one long arm flung protectively across her middle. Oh well. Matt sorely needed the rest after sleeping in a chair for three nights straight. Doc himself sure had slept better with the bed to himself instead of having to share it with an overgrown boy scout. He shuddered to think of how uncomfortable it would have been with the both of them sleeping together. Shaking his head, he tried not to smile too hard as he quietly closed the door behind him and puttered off to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

Thirty minutes later Matt lumbered into the room, fragrant with the aroma of fresh brew, his beard scruffy, clothes disheveled, and hair in a state of utter disarray. Doc paused mid-sip of his coffee at the sight. He started to make a pointed comment, but just then Matt gave an enormous yawn, stretching his large frame impressively and then aimlessly scratching his belly. Doc completely forgot what he was going to say, so he just shook his head and instead asked, "Care to join me?"

"Don't mind if I do, Doc."

In the cupboard, Matt located two kinds of cups: fragile, china cups with dainty pink flowers and handles that wouldn't fit his thick fingers, and heavy-duty, blue and white speckled enamel mugs that fit his grip just right. Matt rubbed his sleepy eyes and opted for the second choice. Pouring himself a big, steaming cup, he sprawled in a chair opposite his friend, legs stretched out in front of him. He took a loud sip and aah-ed in approval.

"Now that's a good cup of coffee. Doc, you need to teach Chester how to brew a decent pot."

"That's one job I don't think I'm ready to take on."

"You may be right, Doc." Matt took another drink from his cup and poked half of his dangling shirttail back into his pants.

"You, uh…" Doc swiped at his mustache. "You sleep good last night, did ya'?"

Matt mumbled something unintelligible and slurped his coffee noisily.

Doc prodded, "You say somethin'?"

Matt said crossly, "I said I slept just fine, Doc."

"Mm-hmm…"

Irritably, Matt asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you mean 'what's that supposed to mean?'" Doc squinted one eye at him. "You feelin' guilty?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Matt grumbled.

"Oh, let's not start that again, young feller. I just want to know what your intentions are."

"Intentions?"

"Yes. Intentions. Are they honorable?"

Matt's face began to turn red and he jumped up to pour himself another cup of coffee even though he hadn't yet finished his first. "I don't wanna talk about it, Doc. It's way too early to be talking about this." He plopped down hard in his chair. "In more ways than one."

Doc gave him a piercing look. "I'm just lookin' out for that little gal in the other room. I know you care for her, but so do I." Doc tugged at his ear. "I don't want her hurt, Matt. She's got an awful big heart."

"I know she does, Doc." Matt scrubbed a hand over his stubbly cheeks. "But I'd never hurt her."

Doc nodded his head firmly. "Just so we understand each other."

"We do, Doc… We do."

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Rinsing his straight razor in a wash pan full of water, Matt jutted his chin forward to scrape the last of his several days' beard growth from his skin. He was shaving out in the yard to avoid making a mess in the house, stripped to the waist, squinting into a small hand mirror he had propped up on the fence post close to the water pump in the back yard.

Kitty was still asleep. He smiled when he thought how pleased she'd be when she woke to find his scratchy beard gone. She'd told him before she fell asleep last night that she preferred his face as smooth as a baby's bottom. He rubbed his cheek appraisingly and nodded. Yep. That'd do.

Just then, Matt heard a ruckus coming from the hen house a little ways from the house. He idly wondered what had frightened them as he wiped away stray shaving soap from his face with a towel. Then it happened again. Chickens didn't usually kick up such a fuss unless something was pestering them. He couldn't see anything amiss. Maybe it was an old fox in the henhouse. He grabbed his gun belt from the fencepost, fastening it quickly around his waist, and cautiously headed for the door on the opposite side of the building. Then he heard it: a voice speaking softly inside. He froze and drew his gun before rounding the corner.

"Hold it right there," Matt ordered.

An old man wearing an ancient blue plaid shirt and overalls slowly held out his hands and gave a half-toothless grin. "Don't shoot, son. I ain't a'gonna hurt ya'."

"Who are you?"

"I work here. For Mr. Pierce. Name's Isom Dewey."

Matt's eyebrows beetled as he placed his gun back in its holster. "Work for him? Mister, he died three weeks ago."

"Yeah, that's true. But, Mr. Pierce, he paid me enough money to keep the place up after he died. He knew he was sick and it was his time." The old man gingerly placed an egg he was holding into his double egg basket and added. "I guess you could say I work for Miss Russell now." He smiled his nearly toothless smile again.

Matt scratched his head and asked curiously, "How do you know about her?"

"Oh, Mr. Pierce, he done tole me 'bout meetin' her in Dodge here while back. She was his only kin, he said. Gonna' leave the place to her. He tole me I was gonna' keep it up for him, leastways till she took it over. I guess she'll decide what happens t' me after that." Isom Dewey began shuffling toward the door of the henhouse. "Young fella', who might you be?"

Matt chuffed a laugh and said, "Sorry… Matt Dillon. I'm a U.S. Marshal from Dodge."

Dewey's eyes widened and he pulled up short.

"Oh, I'm not really here on official business, Mr. Dewey. I'm a friend of Miss Russell's and I'm escorting her on this trip. Turns out it's a good thing I came, too."

Peering across the yard, Isom Dewey clapped a hand on his leg and called, "C'mere, Big Sam!" A big yellow Labrador retriever came loping from around one of the barns. "Good boy… This here's Mr. Pierce's dog. I been takin' care of him since Mr. Pierce passed. I guess Big Sam is Miss Russell's dog now, too." The old man leaned over and affectionately rubbed the top of the dog's head. The lab's face was white and his walk a little stiff. Matt could tell he was starting to get on in years. "Good ol' Sam. I knowed him since he was a pup, when Mr. Pierce first got 'im."

Matt questioned, "You've worked here a long time then, Mr. Dewey?"

"Oh, call me Isom. Yeah, a long time indeed. Mr. Pierce was a good man, a kind man. I always enjoyed workin' for 'im." They started heading back toward the house. "How is Miss Russell a'doin'? She feelin' better?"

Matt's surprise must've registered in his face.

Isom laughed good-naturedly and explained, "Mr. Hepley tole me ya'll was comin' here to stay for a while. He said Miss Russell was sick. You all done had a passel o' bad luck, I hear."

"You can say that again, Mr. Dewey…I mean, Isom. We sure have. I guess you could say we got nowhere to go but up!"

They'd arrived back at the water pump where Matt had draped his shirt. He shrugged it back on and answered Isom. "She's gonna be fine. That's what Doc says. Doc Adams is our friend from Dodge, too. He came to take care of Miss Russell when she got sick." He finished buttoning and asked, "You think we could cook one of those chickens to eat today? I think some chicken broth may be just what the doctor ordered."

Isom quickly nodded. "I'll get right on it, sir. I'll pluck it and bring it to the house. Here's a basket o' eggs for you, too. It was nice meetin' you, Mr. Dillon. I'll see ya' later?"

Matt held out a hand for him to shake and nodded in return. "Same here, Isom. I sure appreciate your help."

Isom turned and shambled back toward the henhouse. "Come on, Big Sam!" he called. "Let's go get us a chicken for Miss Russell."

tbc

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	12. Chapter 12

In honor of the fact that I just wrote the rough draft of the FINAL (!) chapter of this 27 chapter saga that has taken about, ohhh... three or four months of my busy life to write, I am posting yet another chapter today, and may post the steamy little chapter that follows if I get a wild hair! Woo! As Pete the Cat says, It's all good...

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Do NOT attempt the patient care described in this chapter without first attending medical school or at the very least taking a correspondence course in practical nursing.

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Chapter 12: Convalescence

Matt carefully fluffed Kitty's pillows behind her back and smoothed a napkin under her chin so he wouldn't drip steaming hot chicken soup on her.

"You made this?" Kitty croaked.

One corner of his mouth turned down as he answered dryly, "I wish I could say I did." He dipped up a spoonful, blew on it for a few seconds, and then held it gingerly to her mouth. "But nope."

Grimacing a bit, she swallowed painfully. "Doc made it?" At the very idea, her expression turned incredulous.

"Nope. Him neither."

She coughed when a bite started to go down the wrong way. "Then who?"

"Isom... Isom Dewey." He carefully scraped the bottom of the spoon over the edge of the bowl to catch the drips before giving her another bite. "Seems you've inherited more than a ranch. You've got a faithful employee to go with it."

"He cooked this?"

"Well, it wouldn't taste so good if me or Doc had made it. Apparently, Isom has cooked for your uncle for years and has been taking care of things around here since Solomon Pierce died." Matt wiped a drop of broth from the corner of her mouth with the napkin. "Otherwise, who would've kept the chickens alive so we could have this delicious soup?"

She coughed and then cleared her throat. "Hadn't thought of it that way."

Matt explained, "Pierce provided for Isom's pay for a while in his will, but it'll be up to you whether you keep him on or not."

"Oh…" Kitty's voice was concerned. "You mean if I sell the ranch he might be out of a job?"

"I suppose…"

"Oh no, Matt…"

"Now, Kitty, don't you worry about that right now." He hurriedly spooned another bite into her mouth before she could continue. "You just need to eat and get some more rest. I think Doc will be bringing your medicine pretty soon, too."

Kitty placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I don't think I can eat anymore, Matt."

"But you've hardly eaten anything."

"I wasn't hungry to begin with, really." Her tired eyes fluttered closed for a moment. "I just ate so Doc wouldn't fuss at me."

"Just take two more bites." He gave her a beseeching look. "That's what you told _me_, remember?"

She gave a tiny sigh. "Yes, my words are coming back to haunt me." But she dutifully opened up for two last bites. "It is very good though, Matt. Please tell Isom Dewey I said 'thank you very much.'"

"I will… Hey, haven't you noticed anything?" He turned his head to one side, then the other, for her to admire his shaving job.

"Yes, I most certainly did, Marshall. What smooth cheeks you have, granny..."

Matt's answer was a deep rumble that gave her gooseflesh. "All the better to kiss you with, my dear…"

She gave a small, gravelly giggle as Matt hurriedly put her napkin over the soup bowl and lay the tray on the bedside table. He leaned toward her just as Doc walked in with a medicine bottle full of some foul-looking substance.

Matt gave a small, disappointed sigh and Kitty eyed the medicine askance as she whispered hoarsely, "Aw, Doc…"

Doc remonstrated, "Now is that any way to greet your faithful physician?"

Matt stood and grabbed the tray to whisk it away to the kitchen before Doc peeked at how much Kitty had eaten.

Looking a little chagrined, she reached her hands toward him. Doc took them and sat in Matt's abandoned place beside her on the bed. She said in a small, teasing voice, "I'm sorry, Doc. I'm always glad to see you, you know that."

"Did you eat your dinner, young lady?" Doc looked over his shoulder at Matt who was walking out the door with the tray toward the kitchen. "Did she eat?" Doc called.

Matt raised his voice in response, "Yep, Doc, she did."

"Good girl." Doc patted her hand. "You've got to eat to get your strength back. That Isom is a purty darn good cook, isn't he?"

"Yes, Doc. And you're a pretty darn good doctor, too."

Doc raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise.

Squeezing his hands, she continued, "And a good friend." She pulled him toward her for a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for coming all the way from Dodge just to take care of me."

Doc's face turned pink. "Aw, shucks, Kitty. Just doin' m'job."

"I know, I know." She pulled one hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "But you don't fool me one bit, you old softie."

He tried unsuccessfully to smother a smile. "So, uh…" Doc tugged at his ear. "How are things goin' between you and the marshal lately?"

Kitty's lips twisted wryly as she acknowledged, "So, you noticed, huh?"

"Who me?" Doc's hand went to his chest in mock surprise, then he replied pithily, "It was hard not to."

It was Kitty's turn to blush.

Doc's face turned serious. "Young lady, you just let me know if he doesn't treat you right, you hear me?"

"Oh, Doc, it'll be alright." She smiled a bit shyly. "Matt's a good man."

"I know he is, but I'm just worried about you." Doc patted her arm. "Gettin' hurt. You're all alone in this world, Kitty. You don't have anybody to look after you the way a woman should."

"No I'm not, Doc."

He looked at her questioningly.

"I'm not alone. I got you."

She noticed his eyes misting with tears at her words and she added, "And Matt." She grabbed his hands and held them tightly. "I love 'im, Doc."

Doc nodded and looked away. "I know you do. Well, my offer still stands, honey. If he doesn't treat you right, you just let me know. I may be old, but I still got some fight left in me." His eyes twinkled at her and she sat up slowly to wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze him as tightly as her frail body would allow.

tbc

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	13. Chapter 13

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Do NOT attempt the patient care described in this chapter without first consulting a practical nurse in proper sponge bath techniques and best practices.

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Chapter 13: Touch Me

Kitty lay on her side, half asleep, the afternoon sun slanting across her bed, warming her to the core. She heard her bedroom door open and then snick shut again. Matt rounded the foot of the bed into view, carrying a large wash pan, feathery wisps of steam rising over it, a couple of towels thrown over his shoulder. Drowsily, she raised her brows at him curiously.

"Bath time, young lady," he smiled, setting the basin on the bedside table.

"Bath time?" Her voice was sleep-hoarse.

"You heard me…"

"But…"

"But what?" He began busily unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeves.

"Well…" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up a little. "Where's Doc?"

Matt gave her a lopsided grin. "I sent him fishing for supper. Down at the river. He'll be gone for a while."

"Oh," she said quietly as she pressed back against the pillows.

"What'sa matter? Don't you wanna get clean?"

"Yeah, but…" She squinted at him slightly askance.

"But what?" His eyes glinted a little. "Scared of me?"

Her mouth twisted in a pout. "No…I just…"

"Raise your arms…"

"Raise my arms?"

"Are you going to keep echoing my words or are you going to do what I ask you, young lady?"

She frowned and raised her arms, letting Matt strip her nightgown over her head. Her cheeks turned pink, sitting before him completely naked. She didn't know why. He'd seen her this way plenty of times before in the past few weeks.

Matt did a fine job of appearing totally detached. He cleared his throat, then dunked a washcloth in the pan of hot water and soaped it up. He hesitated just a fraction of a second before he gently clasped her wrist and began slicking the bubbly cloth up and down her arm.

"Mmm…" The sound escaped her lips before she realized it.

"Feel good?" His voice was deep and rumbling and she could feel it clear down into her stomach.

"Yes…" she breathed. "Smells so good too."

"'Lavender verbena'… That's what the package said."

She giggled the tiniest bit so as not to aggravate her sore throat. It was feeling much better these days, she'd have to admit, thanks to plenty of rest and excellent care from Doc and Matt and even Isom Dewey, whom Matt said had been doing all the cooking for them, as well as taking care of the ranch.

Matt finished with one arm and moved to her other, caressing her skin until it glistened in the sunlight. He slid the newly-rinsed washcloth around behind her neck, massaging it slowly until her head dropped back languidly. She could feel her stiff muscles relaxing under his careful ministrations.

In a leisurely fashion that made Kitty's nerves hum, Matt's attentions began to trace their lazy way tantalizingly down her body. Her eyes drifted closed languorously as he gently stroked over her shoulders and chest and finally settled on her soft, voluptuous breasts. His admiring gaze drank her in appreciatively as he watched her pebbled, pink rosebuds respond to his touch, and he was unutterably pleased to see her breath quicken with his labors. Unhurriedly, the warm cloth began swirling over her belly and sides.

Kitty drew in a surprised breath when Matt suddenly slipped his well-muscled arms behind her to pull her bare body against his chest. With his damp fingers, he meticulously drew her long, tousled hair off her back, all the while noticing how fiery it appeared in the afternoon sunbeams slanting over her bed. She shivered as he washed her back, gooseflesh materializing at his delicious touch, and she unconsciously pressed her breasts closer to him. He asked worriedly, "You cold?"

"No, not at all…" She gave a lush sigh and murmured against his shirt, "You just don't know what you do to me, Marshal…"

With a small conspiratorial smile overtaking his lips, he seized the opportunity to whisper in her ear, his breath tickling the small curls at her neck, "You look so beautiful, Kitty…" Then he laid her back against the pillows again and traced a finger down her cheek, pink and glowing, admiring his handiwork.

Matt determinedly soaped his rag again, then began the enjoyable task of washing her long, luxurious legs and feet, carefully and meticulously, one at a time. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time, regarding her smooth skin and generous curves appreciatively as he made her clean and sweet again. He slowly rinsed her legs and hesitated only briefly after dipping his washcloth in the basin of water one final time, taking a deep, fortifying breath.

His eyes locked onto hers as his fingers, swathed in the warm, soapy cotton, slipped tentatively between her legs. She gasped and her sapphire eyes widened at his intimate touch, but she did not pull away or tear her gaze from his own. Ruby lips parting, she drew her knees up, dropping them open a little to give him better access. He muttered faintly to himself, "My sweet girl…"

He could feel his own body mutinously responding to Kitty's actions, to her loveliness, to her scent, to the feel of her. His hands were shaking as he rinsed her thoroughly. She was slightly breathless as she rose up to whisper in his ear, "I love it when you touch me, Matt. You make my belly burn, you know that?"

"You do more than make my belly burn, honey," he managed to say in a passion-hoarse voice, trying to ignore how tight his pants had become. "But I've got to get you dressed and change your sheets before Doc gets back. He'll have my hide…" He pressed a lingering kiss longingly on her forehead before reaching over to retrieve a clean, white nightdress from the bedside table, shaking it out for her to see. It was delicate and fragile-looking, the material almost diaphanous.

"Where did that come from?" she asked curiously, appreciatively fingering the expensive fabric.

"I think it was probably your aunt's," Matt explained gently as he dropped it over her head and helped her slip her arms through the billowing sleeves. Kitty gasped in response to the news.

Matt hesitantly continued, "I found it in a trunk. Along with this…" He handed her a small, worn book bound in leather. It looked very old. His voice was hushed. "I think it's a journal. I hope you don't mind. I was hoping to find something for you to wear while we washed your nightgown. I didn't read it, Kitty. I just glanced quickly inside to see what it was."

Kitty inhaled sharply and clasped the book to her chest. Her eyes widened as she gazed at him. "I don't mind a bit, Matt Dillon. Thank you…" She hugged him tightly, noticing the discomfort in his pants for the first time. "Oh my…"

"Aw, Kitty…" He grinned crookedly. "Let myself get carried away. Shoulda' known better…"

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

He placed a finger over her lips. "Shh… Now don't say that. You can't help what you do to me, woman." He gave her a sweet, sly grin as she laughed. Easily scooping her up in his arms, Matt placed her gently on the chaise by the window, then began stripping the sheets off her bed.

She relaxed against the chair wearily and closed her eyes, grasping the old journal to her heart. Her skin still flushed and warm wherever Matt had touched her, she murmured sincerely, "I'll be glad when I'm feeling better, Matt." She covered a small cough, then absently stroked the luxurious fabric of the nightgown beneath her palm.

Matt spoke with his back to her as he smoothed the clean sheet over the bed. "Tomorrow, if it's as warm as it is today, I'll wash your hair for you. How's that sound?"

"Lovely…" She sighed contentedly, "You're so good to me, Matt…" Then she opened the creaking leather of the mysterious journal and began silently reading the ink-inscribed secrets, once black but long ago faded to brown, contained within its brittle pages…

tbc

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	14. Chapter 14

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not a psychologist or an expert in family dynamics, therefore the information contained within may indeed be completely unreliable or entirely dangerous.

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Chapter 14: Voices from the Past

_Today I met the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. He's got the kindest, gentlest blue eyes I've ever seen and a tender heart to match. He doesn't care how I've had to make my living in the past- what I've been forced to do to keep food in my mouth or clothes on my back. He says he doesn't care one whit that I'm what some men call a 'soiled dove' with a hateful sneer on their faces. He says he understands. He says it's what's inside a person that counts, and he thinks I'm the most beautiful girl he's ever seen in all his born days, inside or out. I think I need to hold on tight and never let this wonderful man go…_

Kitty read the faded ink in her aunt Océane's journal and suddenly glanced up at the man who was turning back the covers on her freshly made bed, busily fluffing her pillows. Her mind whirled as she read the poignant, heartfelt words her mother's sister had penned so many years before, still fresh, still meaningful to the niece she'd never even met. Her heart swelled with love for this man who was doing his darndest to wrench her away from the same soul-eating business that'd had her aunt Océane in its clutches so many years before.

"What's the matter, Kitty?"

"Nothing…" She hadn't realized she'd been staring at Matt, a queer look on her face. "It's just…"

He finished plumping her pillows and came to stand beside her. "What, honey?"

"I just love you so much, Matt." Her eyes burned with the sudden tears that threatened to spill over her lashes. She reached for his hand as he blushed at her romantic sentiments expressed so openly in the bright light of day. But when she gazed up and offered him her upturned lips, he eagerly leaned over for a kiss. She saw him take a shallow, hesitant breath as his full, lush lips parted slightly…

A rap on the door caused them both to jump.

"Oh…" they said simultaneously, looking at each other in disappointment.

Matt sighed heavily and grudgingly released her hand, striding to unlock the door and open it. "Come in, Doc."

Doc's hat was pushed back on his head and he wore a wide, cocky grin. "Wellll," he drawled. "What have you two youngsters been up to?"

He perched on the edge of Kitty's chaise and took her hand in his, his eyes busily taking in the salient changes that had taken place during his absence.

"Look what Matt found, Doc…" Kitty held up the leather-bound journal. "It's a journal written by my aunt."

"Say! That's a find! That young man of yours may turn out to be worth something after all…" He glanced back at Matt, who looked at him sourly.

Doc deftly held Kitty's wrist as Matt started to protest. "See here now, Doc…"

Doc held up a finger to signal for quiet. After several moments he announced, "Young lady, your pulse is racing a bit…" He looked accusingly at Matt again. "What could've caused it to do that, eh?"

Matt irritably countered, "I don't see that it's any of your…"

Doc interrupted, "Oh, what put you in such a bad mood this afternoon?" Doc gave Kitty a sly wink but then proposed soberly, "Maybe you'll get to know your aunt a little by reading this, since you didn't have that opportunity during her lifetime."

Kitty cast her eyes down at the worn book in her hands.

Doc swiped at his mustache and quickly offered, "I know this has been rather hard on you, Kitty. Finding out you had family only after they were gone."

She silently squeezed his hand.

He continued, "But maybe it's all a blessing in disguise. I think a lot of good could come from all of this…" He looked up at Matt and reiterated, "Yep, I surely do… A lotta good…"

Doc patted her hand one last time and rose, "Well, I've got some fish to clean. While you two were fritterin' away your time doin'…" He waved his hands a bit. "…whatever you were doin', I was catchin' us some supper!"

Matt grumbled, "It's about time you started earnin' your keep around here, you old codger."

Doc fussed back, "You're one to talk!" as he walked out the door hollering, "Isom!"

Matt shook his head and started to pick Kitty up to place her back in bed, but she stopped him with a hand. "I want to stay here a while and read, Matt. I'm so tired of lying in bed."

"Okay, Kitty. Guess I'll go help clean those fish and get supper ready. You think you could manage to eat some fried fish tonight?"

She smiled. "I think so. I'm not hungry, but maybe I will be by the time we eat."

"You've gotta start eating more, Kitty. So you can get well." He gave her a lopsided grin and scratched his ear. "You told me you wished you were feeling better, remember?"

"Oh, I remember, Cowboy," she sighed. "Don't worry, I won't forget. And I promise I'll eat. Just for you." Her lifted brow made him grin as he left her to read in peace.

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"_Got another letter from Amélie today." _ Kitty's heart stopped as she read that sentence. _"She and baby Kathleen are doing fine…"_ Kitty never even knew she had an aunt. And she certainly hadn't known her mother had kept in contact with her sister over the years. Why had her mother never mentioned her own sister to Kitty? She continued reading, "…_although Amélie says she fears each morning when she wakes, her husband will be gone never to return. That is no way for a woman to live._" Kitty's head reeled and her heart ached, for she knew the unfortunate conclusion to this particular story. Her father, Wayne Russell, would indeed desert Kitty and her mother, never to be seen again. She herself had only been a baby, so she had never really even known him. But, as a child, she would watch the sad, faraway look in her mother's eyes sometimes, looking out the front window onto the busy streets of New Orleans, and she knew her mother was hoping to see her father return, even after all the years that had passed. Amélie had never quite gotten over Wayne Russell's leaving her.

"_My sister and I both escaped our unhappy childhood home, although by different means. She, by marriage, and I, by running as far away as I could. My life is so happy now. I hate that her life is still full of discontent_."

Kitty's hands were shaking as she read. What kind of life could her mother and aunt have led in the Arcenaux household that would be so unhappy as to make them want to escape? It was troubling to imagine.

tbc

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	15. Chapter 15

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to sexual situations and violence._

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Chapter 15: Drawn to the Present

"_I couldn't put enough distance between me and my New Orleans home. It had been a miserable place for both me and my sister Amélie." _Kitty was nearly breathless after reading the dark truths contained within her aunt Océane's journal; her thoughts were spinning at all she had been forced to absorb in such a short period of time. She laid her head limply back against the chaise lounge and stared out the window at the sunset, shivering at the chilly breeze fluttering the lace curtains. As she contemplated the early circumstances of the two sisters, her heart grew bitter at the sad choices left to so many women just like them, living in this man's world. She could unhappily count herself, her aunt, and her own mother among the victims, according to Océane's account within the pages of the slim volume she now held in her hands.

Kitty coughed wretchedly until a tear rolled down her cheek. She was so tired. It'd been a long day, her first out of bed, if you could count three feet across the room, lying on a chaise as out of bed. And now she'd been confronted with this overwhelming news. Funny thing…it'd actually happened in the distant past, the participants probably all long dead by now, but it was fresh to her, and the hurt in her heart was fresh, too. _Her poor mother..._

The bedroom door creaked a bit as it opened, and the soft, yellow glow of lamplight spilled into the room. "Kitty, you awake?" Matt's footsteps stole lightly across the polished wooden floor. "Surely you aren't readin' in the dark?"

She swallowed hard to keep more tears from escaping and cleared her throat so that her voice would not betray her. "No…" Hastily swiping at the tear stain on her cheek, she answered, "I think I'm finished reading for tonight though." The small laugh that came out of her mouth sounded forced even to her own ears.

Matt set the lamp on her bedside table and perched gingerly next to her. He kept his voice low in the shadowy room. "What's the matter, Kitty? You sound upset."

"Oh, Matt…" Kitty bit her bottom lip and tried to steady her voice. "I've just… I'm just a little shaken up by what I've read." She couldn't look at him or she knew she'd crumple and burst into tears under his sympathetic gaze.

He somehow sensed this and didn't touch her, just sat quietly and waited for her to continue.

"My entire life with her, my mother seemed perpetually melancholy. I had always thought it was because my father had left us." She tucked her hair behind an ear and continued, not daring to look at him still. "But maybe there was something more to it…"

Matt sat, not uttering a word, allowing her time to unburden her heart.

She took a deep, steadying breath, almost whispering the words, "Matt, there were bad things going on in her life, from the time she was very young… To both of them, Océane and my mother…"

"Bad things?"

"Things that shouldn't happen to a little girl." Her voice was flat and emotionless, but the expression on her face, as she stared out into the dim room, was anything but.

Matt's stomach churned at her implied meaning. "Who was it, Kitty? Who did those…things to them?"

"I never knew him. I didn't know it until just now, but my grandfather, Sennett Arcenaux, was married before he met my grandmother. He had a son, Lucien." Kitty worried the cuticle of her thumbnail until it bled. "When his first wife died, he married my grandmother Bernadette and the son came to live with them."

Matt continued softly, "And then your grandparents had two more children…"

"My mother Amélie was the oldest. Océane came along three years later."

"Then it was their brother…" Matt stated, his voice hard.

"Lucien…he hurt them, Matt. He hurt my mother and her little sister." Kitty commenced to bitterly describe to Matt what she had learned within the pages of Océane's diary. Dark secrets of a family in denial. Unspeakable happenings behind closed doors where a good family supposedly lived. Tormented little girls, sexually abused by their older half-brother until they were young ladies of society and could stand it no more.

Amélie, the oldest, chose to marry the first charming man who came along when she was of marriageable age, in spite of her parents' objections that Wayne Russell was a scalliwag and a scoundrel. Océane, fearing Lucien's isolated attentions, chose to run away where no one would ever find her. And so she had made her way West in this world, making a living the only way she knew how, in one of the few occupations available to women.

Sitting in the dimly lit bedroom where Océane may very well have spent her last hours, Kitty revealed to Matt her family's secrets in a hushed voice, tears streaming slowly but silently down her face. She cried for her mother's and aunt's private pain. She cried because she could never tell them how sorry she was. She cried because she would never see her mother again, her grief at Amélie's passing renewed even after all these long years without her.

_Why hadn't she known? She could have helped her mother. She could have._ Kitty hadn't even realized she'd spoken these last thoughts aloud until Matt wrapped his long, comforting arms around her at last and stroked her hair and her shuddering back as she sobbed quietly against his chest. "Shhh…." he murmured against the top of her head. "Shh…Kitty, it's not your fault, honey. It had nothing to do with you. It was all over and done with before you were even born."

"But…" she looked up at him with liquid blue eyes, face flushed and tear-swolllen.

He held a finger gently to her lips. "But nothing, Kitty… You were so young when your mother died. There was nothing you could have done to help her. You were just a kid, honey. Don't beat yourself up over this. None of it is your fault."

She laid her head against his sturdy chest, thankful for his presence, grateful for his understanding.

Matt slipped an arm under her knees and swept her up, depositing her gently on the bed. He pulled the covers over her legs and sat down beside her, tugging a hankie out of his pocket. He wrinkled his nose. "Sorry, this one smells like Doc's fish. Wait a minute…"

Kitty couldn't help but smile through her tears as he dug in his other pockets one by one until he located a clean handkerchief. He shook it out and wiped her face dry, afterwards instructing, "Blow."

While Matt fussed over her, she once again wondered what she had ever done to deserve him, after the sordid lifestyle she had led. She was overcome with gratitude that she had found her Solomon Pierce right here in Matt Dillon.

"Kitty, you need to eat to keep your strength up. You want to come eat with Doc and me in the kitchen?"

"Oh, Matt, I'm a mess. I don't feel very sociable right now, to tell you the truth."

"How 'bout I bring your supper in here?"

She answered quietly, "That would be nice, Matt. I'd appreciate it."

Matt took her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs under her eyes to dry the remainder of her tears, then touched his lips to her forehead for a long moment. "I'll be back in a jiffy," he murmured softly, closing the door quietly behind him.

Kitty lay on her side, hot tears trickling anew onto her pillow as her fingertips absently stroked the silky fabric of Océane's nightgown. She looked across at the leather journal still lying on the chaise lounge and wondered what other secrets might lay buried inside.

tbc

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	16. Chapter 16

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Do not attempt the hair care procedures described in this chapter without first consulting a licensed hair care professional.

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Chapter 16: Soft Spot

_My man is so good to me. I have to convince myself with a daily pinch that my new life is not all some dream and that I'll wake up in a whorehouse back in Vermilionville, Louisiana, someday. Solomon works hard all day long, for we are saving to buy some land of our own, but when he comes home at night, he does not put his feet up and yell and complain the way the other wives have related to me that their husbands act. My husband treats me like a lady. He speaks kindly to me. But we never talk about the past. That is my one rule. I wish to leave the past far behind me. _

_I no longer have to earn my living in my bed. I take care of our little house instead. It is hard work, but I do not mind it in the least. Nothing is hard work after you've had to make money by letting a strange, sweaty man climb on top of you. You come to appreciate mundane chores like baking biscuits and washing dishes. Those tasks are cleansing to the soul. They smell good. Not so much, those dirty cowboys. Solomon also talks to me sweetly when we are abed. That is the best time of all—the nights when we lie in each other's arms. I don't know why he loves me so, but he does. Solomon tells me so a hundred times a day, so I know it is true._

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Matt's long, dripping fingers wove through Kitty's abundant, wet hair, caressing and massaging her scalp until her senses practically hummed. In fact, she suddenly realized she might actually be humming aloud without being aware of it.

"Feel good?"

Matt's deep, thrumming voice always tickled her belly and sometimes made her shiver with delight. She squinted one eye up at him against the bright light of the sun high overhead. "Mmm-hmmm…"

The aroma of rosewater tonic and rich vanilla permeated the air around them. She breathed in the luscious scent appreciatively as Matt offered, "Isom said this was Mrs. Pierce's favorite."

"It smells lovely." She let her eyes drift closed again and contentedly drank in all the smells and sounds around her on this fine spring day—sweet hay from the barn, mockingbirds in the trees, and damp fertile earth beneath their feet. But the best sensation of all was the feel of Matt's fingers lacing through her hair and over her sensitive skin. It gave her delicious goosebumps.

"He says you look just like her, Kitty. The 'spittin' image' is what he said." Matt pushed his hat back on his head with a damp knuckle and quietly regarded her, sitting in a wooden kitchen chair he'd dragged out back of the house for her after first sending Doc and Isom both packing this time. He'd told them to take their good sweet time and catch plenty of fish, too. Doc had given him a highly suspicious look and warned Matt he'd have his hide if he let Kitty get cold and wet. The only reason he was allowing Matt to do this in the first place was it was unseasonably warm today, not a cloud in the dadblamed sky. So Matt was to be quick about the whole process, or else Kitty could have a complete relapse and it would be all Matt's fault.

Matt knew better than to cross Doc, so he was taking every precaution. The wash tub full of water sitting on a small table behind her was plenty warm, heated on the stove and smelling pretty thanks to Isom, and he'd swathed Kitty in insulating towels after she'd shimmied her gown down off her shoulders so it wouldn't get wet.

Sighing as he cupped his hands and filled them with water, letting it trickle through his fingers onto her scalp, Matt almost wished he hadn't discovered that journal because of the hurt it had caused Kitty. When he looked now at her beautiful pale face, eyes closed, head lying back so trustingly in his own hands, the thought of the aunt who'd looked so much like her and the abuse that she'd suffered made his chest tighten painfully. The idea of someone hurting Kitty made his blood boil, and that inevitably drew his thoughts back to her unfortunate occupation. Matt would do everything in his power to make sure she never had to make her living that way again. The Pierce Ranch could be what helped Kitty finally make her escape, just like Océane had made her escape with Solomon so many years before.

Matt threaded his fingers through the velvety soft, titian tresses floating weightless in the scented wash water, meticulously working the tangles out, and quietly contemplated his relationship with Kitty. He'd never felt this protective of someone before. Kitty was so different from the other women he'd known. She was smart and brave and tough and could take care of herself for the most part, but, funny thing was, he didn't want her to have to. He wanted to help take care of her.

He'd discovered a soft spot inside for this worldly, red-headed saloon girl with the face of an angel and a body that could make a man break into a sweat just looking at her…and he didn't quite know what to do about it. As a U.S. Marshal, he sure didn't make enough money to support a family, and he would be desperately afraid for anyone who became close to him. It'd been his experience that those closest to him invariably became targets of the lousy cheats, thieves, and murderers he battled, day in and day out. It wouldn't be fair to Kitty, to subject her to that kind of trash and the inevitable trouble they'd bring. He could never do that to her.

Matt gave another sigh as he slicked his hand over Kitty's wet hair, warm with the sun's heat. She chose that moment to look up at him with those big sapphire eyes that made his stomach do funny things, and he could see her breath quickening under his gaze. Her plump, pink lips were parted just a tiny bit, and Matt found himself irresistibly drawn to them. She slipped her cool hand around the back of his neck where his skin was tanned brown with the harsh prairie sun, as he leaned over her and touched his mouth to hers, tasting her lips, breathing her breath, inhaling her sweet scent. Gently, tentatively, their lips slid together as Matt and Kitty reacquainted themselves after far too many days of forced separation. Kitty made a small, needy sound in her throat that Matt felt in his groin, and she slipped her slick, hot tongue into his mouth. Her ardent explorations made him hum with pleasure as he clasped her face between his strong hands, her hair spilling from the wash basin, heedlessly streaming rose-scented water onto the ground below.

Their kiss became more heated and urgent. Matt hissed when Kitty's warm palm slid over the front of his pants where she could not mistake the undeniable evidence of his desire. A small moan escaped her lips at her discovery, and she nipped invitingly at his bottom lip with her teeth. Then Matt felt Kitty's fingers at the waistband of his pants, struggling with his buttons. A disappointed growl was wrenched from his throat and he broke their searing kiss, breathlessly declaring, "Oh…Kitty…we've got to stop…"

Her blue eyes flew open in surprise as she looked up at him, out of breath, face flushed, lips swollen from his passionate kisses. He still held her face in his big, calloused hands, and he stroked her cheek, soothing her. "We can't do this here." He stood up straight and glanced around them, relieved to see no sign of Doc or Isom, then shook his head ruefully. "What am I saying? You're sick, honey. We shouldn't be doing this at all! I'm sorry…I got carried away again."

Kitty gave him a lazy, sated half-smile and remorsefully agreed, "You're right, Matt. I'm sorry… What would Doc say?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I don't even wanna think about it, Kitty. He'd skin me." Placing his hands on his hips, he quietly regarded her as he tried to get his heart rate back under control, her normally bright, fiery hair dark and drenched, tumbling down her back. He gave a sigh. "Okay, let's get you rinsed. I have some clean water heating on the stove." He grasped her hand and kissed her fingers lightly, a slightly chagrined look on his handsome face. "I'll be right back."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cowboy…"

"You better not." Matt strode toward the back door of the house with a quick backward glance while Kitty sat quietly, hands folded in her lap. She leaned her head back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face, completely disregarding any worries of future freckles while tantalizing thoughts of Matt Dillon warmed her insides.

But from the cover of the bushes, cold gray eyes watched silently, waiting...

tbc

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	17. Chapter 17

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Please consult a hair care professional before attempting any hair care methods described in this chapter.

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Chapter 17: Rainy Day

_Sometimes I lie awake at night fretting. Whatever would become of me if something were to happen to my dear Solomon? I am ever fearful of having to go back to that unspeakable life I once was forced to lead. For years now, I have been saving a little bit of money aside, for a rainy day, one might say. A woman must be prepared for the very worst she can imagine. Because sometimes the unimaginable comes to pass…_

Kitty's scalp tingled warmly with each relaxing stroke of soft bristles over her rapidly drying hair. "How much do you think I would need to pay for the repairs, Matt?" she murmured sleepily, lulled by his soothing, rhythmic strokes. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder at him through hooded eyes, his face intent on his work.

"Keep still," he admonished gently, relishing the sensation of her cool, silky hair slipping damply within his palms. "I don't know, Kitty." He blew out a thoughtful breath. "I'm no rancher. We'll have to consult with Hepley, maybe even the bank, to get a better idea. You might make out better if you just sell it outright, without repairing the flood damage."

"Honestly, I don't think I have anywhere near enough cash to repair barns and fences." She peeped around at him again and drowsily rubbed her heavy eyelids. "You may be right about going ahead and selling it as is."

"There you go again. Turn back around…" He silently marveled at how beautifully her fiery hair shone in the bright sunlight, combing his bare fingers through the thick, sleek tresses, the ends curling softly as they dried.

"When do you think we can talk to Mr. Hepley again, Matt? I'm feeling much better, really I am."

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere yet." Matt scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "Besides, Doc would have a conniption fit."

"But, Matt, it's been such a long time. I need to see about selling this place."

"I tell you what…" He tenderly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Now that you're feeling a little better, I'd like to ride into town and have me a talk with Virgil Ware."

"What for?"

"I wanna know what caused that hotel fire."

"What do you mean?" Kitty turned her whole body sideways in the chair to get a good look at him.

"I mean, it looked suspicious, Kitty. The fire was isolated to your room only. Virgil said he smelled kerosene fumes."

"What?" Kitty's eyes widened.

"That's why I want to talk with the sheriff. And while I'm in town, I'll ask Hepley to come out here for a meeting. That way you can rest and not have to travel. I don't want you getting sick again, young lady." Matt punctuated his statement by shoving his hat further back on his head and placing his hands determinedly on his hips. "I mean it."

"Oh, all right…" she answered in a sweetly conciliatory tone, gazing up at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Matt's voice raised a notch. "You mean you're not gonna argue with me?"

Taking his hand, she gave him the tiniest smile. "No. You know what's best."

"Kathleen Russell, do you have a fever again?" A thick eyebrow rose over Marshal Dillon's forehead.

She gave a throaty laugh accompanied by a small residual cough… "No!"

"Well, I'm going to carry these things back in the house. I want to have everything cleaned up and you safely in bed before Doc gets back."

"Well, take those things first." She gave his hand a tender squeeze. "Let me sit out here just for a few more minutes. It's so nice. My hair can finish drying, too."

Matt took a luxurious handful of her hair in his hand, holding it to his nose and inhaling deeply, the silken strands softly tickling his lips. He sighed, "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Clutching his arm, Kitty tugged him down until his face hovered over hers. Before he could react, she kissed him, soft and wet and deep…but fleetingly. She placed her hands on his cheeks and gazed into his eyes intently and said, "Thank you, Matt…" Then she reluctantly released him.

He gave her a dazed grin and tipped his hat, "You're most welcome, little lady." And he loped off toward the back door, towels thrown over his shoulder, her brush and comb stuck in his back pockets, splashing water from the overfull washbasin as he went. He finally leaned over and dumped the water beneath a thorny rose bush before ducking his head into the house.

Kitty smiled to herself and sat looking out at the barns on the property behind her. It made her sad to think of selling this place that her family had lived on for so long, but what on earth would she do with a ranch? The best thing to do was to sell it and use the money to invest in the Long Branch with Bill Pence. Kitty was a city girl, after all. Glancing over at the bushes, she could have sworn she saw something moving there. Probably a prairie dog or possum or even a wild turkey for all she knew. This place was crawling with varmints.

Idly, she wondered what her aunt had finally done with her "rainy day" money. Kitty's rainy day had come in spades, all right, and wiped out part of her inheritance. But at least it wasn't anything resembling a total loss. She should still be able to raise a large portion of the payment to Bill in the end.

Kitty closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like to own her own business, to be her own boss. It thrilled her to think that her dream was actually within reach, that she would never again have to live that life that both she and her aunt Océane despised. Would never have to lay a hand on another man as long as she lived if she didn't want to…Matt Dillon excluded, of course. Kitty started when she heard a strange sound rapidly approaching. Her eyes flew open and she cried out when something brushed against her.

A delighted laugh burst from her throat when she stared down into liquid brown eyes gazing lovingly up at her, a big yellow, furry head nestled firmly in her lap.

"You must be Big Sam!" Kitty exclaimed, giving the large yellow dog's ears an enthusiastic and thorough scratching. Big Sam happily hassled and smiled up at her adoringly. "Oh, you are such a sweet dog, yes you are!" She petted and cooed to Big Sam, who sat very still, gazing at Kitty and listening intently to every word she uttered.

"Hello there!" Traipsing across the yard were Doc and Isom, returning from their apparently successful fishing excursion. Doc proudly carried a big mess of fish and Isom toted the poles over one shoulder and their gear in the other hand.

"Hello, Doc! Hello, Isom! Look who I just met..."

Isom beamed, "I can see he has taken a shine to you, Miss."

"Oh, I've taken a shine to him, alright. He is such a good boy."

Doc squinted at her and remarked fondly, "You look purty as a picture, young lady, sitting out in the midst of the beauty of nature, freshly scrubbed and pink-cheeked from the sun…"

Kitty's mouth dropped open in surprise, "Why, thank you, D—"

His tone quickly turned reproving, "…but what on earth are you still doin' out here? Matt should have you back in bed underneath the covers and resting by now… Why, I oughta…"

"You'll do no such thing, Doc…" Her eyes twinkled and the corners of her mouth turned up. "Matt has been taking wonderful care of me, and you know it. Don't you fuss at him, not one little bit." Kitty reached for his free arm and stood a bit unsteadily, leaning on her friend.

"Oh…all right." Doc gave her a placating pat on the hand. "But only cause you asked me…"

Doc wrapped his arm firmly around Kitty's waist, handing off the string of fish to his companion. "Would you mind, Isom?"

"Not at all, Doc, not at all. You go ahead and escort the young lady back inside before she catches her death." Isom gave a sly wink at Kitty behind Doc's back and Kitty grinned at him in return. She and Doc unhurriedly strolled back to the house, arm in arm.

Isom headed happily toward the water pump, ready to clean their string of beauties for supper.

And shrouded in the shade-dappled treeline, a shadowy figure mounted his horse, trotting away before anyone could spot him and become suspicious, revealing his hand before he could make his next move.

tbc

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	18. Chapter 18

Set Fire to the Rain 2

The following is intended for mature readers due to sexual situations. Feel free to skip this chapter if smut biscuits aren't to your liking. Actually, it's purely romantic about 1200 words into the chapter, so you'd be safe to read until things go south…quite literally. Smut lovers can carry on until the sweet end…

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Chapter 18: Insomnia

_It's nearly midnight. I'm lying here in the silver blue moonlight, wide awake and listening to the sound of my own breathing. That and a lonesome coyote in the distance, who sounds a little bit like I feel. Guess I've been sleeping so much lately that it's finally caught up with me. _

_Matt hasn't made it back from Cimarron yet. Maybe that's another reason I can't sleep. Worry for him. I know I've got no call to be anxious. He's been taking care of himself for a good long while now. But I can't help it. We've been together, day in and day out, through rain and flood and sickness… It feels unsettling to be separated from him after all this time. _

_I didn't quite know what to do with myself today while he was gone. I did sleep an awful lot, which is part of my problem now, I suppose. I read a little more of my aunt's diary sitting out in the yard with Big Sam at my feet, breathing in the scent of burgeoning earth and fresh, clean country air. Enjoying the splendor of delicate spring flowers sprouting up in little patches around the bare yard and well-fed, red-breasted robins searching tirelessly for worms in the damp soil. _

_And I made Doc very happy indeed when I managed to eat some of Isom's biscuits and gravy for breakfast and then chicken and dumplings for lunch. A patient getting plenty of rest and food are two things that please Doc enormously. I managed to come to the table to eat, too. I enjoyed listening to Doc and Isom banter like old friends, and, best of all, Isom told me wonderful stories about my aunt and uncle when they lived here together on the ranch. _

_I think Solomon and Océane must have been very much in love, and my heart aches with missing them, in spite of the fact that I never even knew them. But it is a very great relief to think that my aunt found such contentment with Solomon after so many years of living in an unhappy home, physically abused and mentally tormented, and then forced to prostitute herself in order to live on her own. It removes some of the heavy burden on my heart, although Matt continues to reassure me I should not feel responsible for my mother's and aunt's unhappiness. But I think it is only human nature to look back and second-guess ourselves. How could I have been so blind? What could I have done to help? I will always wonder what I could have done differently._

_But now I'm tossing and turning in the rumpled bedclothes. And listening expectantly. Listening for Matt to return from speaking to Irving Hepley about coming out here and meeting about the will and my uncle's ranch and what I'm going to do with it all. _

_And then I wonder if Matt's been missing me, too. Probably not. Men aren't so sentimental as women. He hasn't given me a second thought, I'm sure. He's probably relieved to get away for a while, truth be told. I sigh resignedly and listen as a noisy mockingbird pierces the quiet with its insistent melody. _

_I always find it strange to hear such exuberance in the dead of night, when everything is supposed to be fast asleep. But the mockingbird sings his song, quite enthusiastically, for anyone who will listen. I wonder if he's singing to his mate. Do mockingbirds mate for life? No, I think that it's swans who remain forever devoted to one another. I read that in a magazine once, and the fact struck me as lovely and hopelessly romantic. _

_Suddenly, I hear the doorknob turning. The hinges give their tiny creak as my bedroom door opens just a crack and the brim of a cowboy hat pokes through. "Matt!" I whisper across the room as loudly as I dare. I don't want to waken Doc. _

_The moonlight is so bright, I can see his animated expression as he smiles his infectious smile with those perfect, straight, white teeth. He looks over his shoulder, then slips through the door, closing it noiselessly behind him._

_I sit up and greet him with pure delight I can't hide. "I didn't hear you ride up!"_

_Matt's deep voice rumbles even as he whispers, "What are you still doing awake?" But he appears to be very pleased that I am. He stands with his back against the door and removes his hat, holding it over his heart. _

"_I couldn't sleep." I just look at him standing there in the moonlight, and the sight of him takes my breath away. He's so beautiful. Maybe you aren't supposed to describe a man as beautiful, but I think he is. He reminds me of those lovely Greek statues I've seen in books, just complete perfection of form. I love to look at him. But tonight he's got that vest on I wish he wouldn't wear so much. It hides his flawless wide shoulders that taper down to a narrow waist and then on to a backside that is so round and firm that I have to fight sometimes to keep my hands off it, and it makes me blush as I think about it. I am glad the light is dim in here and he can't tell what I'm thinking about. What would he think of me?_

_His next words are so quiet I nearly don't hear them. "I missed you today." My heart gives a little leap and I can't believe he's been missing me, too. _

_I throw the covers off my legs and scoot over to sit on the other side of the bed, closer to him. "You did?" His admission has made me giddy. I feel like a sixteen-year-old with her first beau. Not at all like a full grown woman with a shady past. But I feel like Matt Dillon has changed me. He's made me new again. That's how I feel anyway._

_Matt walks closer and hangs his hat on the bedpost. He looks down at me and my heart skips a beat. From this close I can look into his beautiful eyes, usually clear blue, but shining and pale here in the moonbeams reflecting into my bedroom. His eyelashes are so lush and long, fringing his lovely eyes, and his gaze is so earnest and loving right now, it makes my chest hurt. He murmurs, "I've gotten used to having you around all the time, Kitty."_

_I take a deep breath and reach for his hand just a little bit shyly. "Me too, Cowboy. I didn't like it today with you gone."_

_With my confession, he leans over me eagerly and captures my lips, ardently kissing me over and over until I can't breathe, his big hands clutching my shoulders like he is afraid I will escape and run away. I reluctantly withdraw from his hungry kiss and work my fingers through his enviable mass of dark curls. "Doc is right in the next room, Matt," I remind him breathlessly._

_Giving a resigned sigh, my sweet cowboy kneels on the floor in front of me. He places his hands on my thighs and I can feel his heat through my nightgown. He just gazes quietly at me for a while and then reaches for my braid. Untying the ribbon that holds it, he threads his fingers through until my hair is loose and flowing over my shoulder. Scooping up a handful, he strokes the silky tresses over his cheek and lips, then kisses my mouth very softly. _

_I think, this is what it feels like to have somebody love you, to cherish you. I don't believe I've ever been cherished by a man in all my born days. I look into his beautiful eyes and I can see clear down into his heart. I know that Matt Dillon cherishes me. Just his eyes tell me that._

_I give a shuddering sigh at his touch, and he is looking down at my bare knees where my nightgown had shimmied its way up my legs when I slid across the bed to be closer to him. He leans over and kisses the soft skin on the inside of my knee, and I shiver in response. "You smell so good, Kitten," I hear him whisper hoarsely. He pushes my nightgown up just a tiny bit higher and he kisses my inner thigh, his tongue darting out wetly. I gasp as he advances, but I don't stop him. I am aching for his touch, like a parched traveler making his way across the desert. If I don't feel Matt's hands on me, I think I will die._

_He pushes the filmy material above my waist and slowly leans over and places his lips on the curls of my mound, inhaling deeply, kissing softly. My breath comes quickly now. He wraps his hands around my bottom and pulls me forward, to the edge of the bed, and spreads my legs carefully apart. His sweet, breathtakingly handsome face turns up towards mine and he asks quietly, "Can I kiss you here, Kitty?"_

_I can barely breathe at this point. I've never let anyone touch me like this. It sounds funny, I know, me being a working girl like I am, but there are things I won't do for money with all those awful men who pay me for my services. And this is one of them. No one ever touches me like this. No one ever kisses me here. Some things are sacred._

_But now I'm trembling so and I can feel my bared female flesh throbbing with desire for Matt's attentions. I think I want him more than I've wanted anything in my entire life. "Yes…" I whisper and my voice sounds tremulous even to my own ears. Warmly, lovingly, he kisses me on the lips again, his fingers trailing over my unbound hair, and then his dark head eagerly dips low over my center. _

_I gasp aloud as his mouth touches my most intimate flesh and I feel him kissing me over and over, tenderly and reverently. My eyes widen at the sensation of his soft lips sliding over my aching center, his tongue working its magic on my secret places where no man has been allowed to touch before. My face flushes scarlet that Matt is seeing me like this, but I don't care, I don't, because it feels so, so good. I've never felt anything like this before. _

_My breath quickens as he pleasures me, and I can feel his full, sensitive lips humming devotedly against my already dripping folds. Blood rushes between my legs, and I feel heavy and enflamed. As I begin to shake, Matt attentively lays me back on the tangled sheets. Then I can't believe I'm letting his do this to me, but he spreads me wider so that he can reach every inch of my thrumming sex, every nerve ending, every sweet spot. I can hide nothing from him. _

_I can feel exquisite tension climbing and building inside of me, and Matt places one hand on my mouth gently to quiet my passionate cries. I can't help it. I feel out of control. I've never been so exposed, so vulnerable before. I am giving myself to this gentle, loving man, utterly and completely. _

_I tremble harder and harder, until I can't hold back any longer. I think Matt can feel it too, and he clamps his large hand over my mouth as I cry out in complete abandon, my back arching as inner muscles I didn't know I had contract divinely within me. My vision blurring, the full moon seems to swell and explode before my eyes. I feel wetness gushing between my legs and I lay weakly, trembling like a leaf, breathing hard, and I can barely hear him whispering, "My sweet, sweet girl…" as he ardently laps at me with his tongue. _

_Tears leak out of the corner of my eyes, dropping heavily onto the mattress below. My core continues to thrum and shake and pulsate and I can't move, not for the life of me. Matt finally kisses his way up my quivering legs and belly. He kisses my flushed cheek and kisses my burning eyes and asks quietly, "What's the matter, honey? Why are you crying?"_

_My voice comes out softer than a whisper, "I love you so much, Matthew Dillon. That's why."_

_Affectionately nuzzling my sweat-sheened neck, he strokes his hand low on my belly and lets it rest there, and I know he can feel my body still trembling and my muscles still contracting in response to his passionate kisses between my legs. _

_Matt murmurs in my ear, his warm breath gently stirring my hair, "I love you, too, sweetheart. I love you, too."_

tbc

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	19. Chapter 19

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not an expert on Victorian poets or poetry in general, so just sit back and enjoy the stanzas o' love, and don't worry about the particulars.

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Chapter 19: How Do I Love Thee?

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
For the ends of being and ideal grace.  
I love thee to the level of every day's  
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.*_

The edge of Kitty's warm bed dipped low and she was abruptly wrested from sleep, rolling toward the bulky disturbance. Groaning, she grimaced at the bright light and attempted to block out the offending noonday sun with an arm thrown across her eyes. A husky, masculine voice drawled, "Mornin', Sunshine."

Her eyes shot open when she suddenly recalled what she and the owner of that familiar voice had been doing late last night in the intoxicating light of the full moon, when she'd been drunk with passion for the want of him. Memories of intimate kisses hungrily given and rapturously accepted rushed over her and made her dizzy just thinking about it.

And mortified. Quick as a flash, Kitty yanked the cotton sheet over her head before Matt could see her face turn scarlet. Oh, lordy, lordy, the wanton things that she had done only hours ago in the seductive dark of night made her blush now in the cold light of day. She felt the bed shake rhythmically and she realized he was chuckling. _Why, the nerve of that man!_

Sapphire blue eyes and riotous, flaming curls peaked over the top of the sheet. "Dammit, Matt Dillon, don't you dare laugh." Her incensed voice came out muffled beneath the covers.

Matt suddenly wore his best poker face. "I'm not, honest-to-Pete… Let me see you." He reached up and tugged the sheet off her face. "Much better."

She eyed him warily, her cheeks still burning.

The corners of his mouth twitched the tiniest bit. "I don't know that I've ever seen you embarrassed before."

"This is not funny, Matt."

"I know, honey." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then sat back and contritely took her hand. "I'm sorry."

She squeezed his fingers and looked anywhere but at his eyes. Kitty couldn't shake the heated memory of his generous mouth… kissing …ravishing… Oh my…

Matt opened her hand and reverently kissed her palm. His soft lips brushed her sensitive skin and made her shiver as he kissed the pads of each of her fingers one at a time. His lips trailed down her inner arm to its crook, where his mouth suckled the soft, delicate skin there until he'd raised prickly gooseflesh on her entire body. He murmured between kisses, "Don't be embarrassed, Kitty. You know I can't ever get enough of you."

Her breath was shallow in her chest and she started to protest, "Matt…"

But he stopped her with a lingering, wet kiss to her lips, saying "I'll visit you again when I can." He gazed hotly into her eyes and kissed her once again, deeper this time. "Would you like that?"

She looked down at their entwined hands lying in her lap and whispered breathlessly, "Yes, Matt, I want you to come back."

"I'd better go now." His lazy, amorous gaze gave way to a small, mischievous grin. "I think Doc might be getting suspicious."

Kitty watched as Matt slipped back out her bedroom door, and she fell heavily back against the fluffy pillows, sighing as she wondered when they'd manage to be alone together again. She could feel her face flushing hot like a house afire at the mere prospect…

tbc

_*Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

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	20. Chapter 20

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not an expert on Victorian poets or poetry in general, so just sit back and enjoy the stanzas o' love, and don't worry about the particulars.

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Chapter 20: Lost Saints

Doc wrapped his hands around Kitty's slim waist, taking unhappy note of the weight she'd lost since being sick, and helped her down out of the buggy. He grumbled, "You sure you won't let me stay here with you for a while?"

"I'm sure, Doc." She slipped her arms around his neck and tugged him close, murmuring in his ear, "I need to be alone right now." She leaned back a bit and worriedly looked into his eyes. "You understand, don't ya', Doc?"

Doc swiped a hand over his wiry mustache and said, "Yes, yes… But I just don't feel right leaving you here by yourself."

"You can see me from the house." She gestured. "I'm not far away. You can come back and get me in thirty minutes, alright?" She gripped his gnarled hands in hers. "I just need a little time is all."

"Oh, alright…" he groused, mightily displeased at leaving his favorite patient behind. "But I'll be right over there at the house, keeping an eye on you. If you need anything, you just wave your arms in the air and I'll be back over here quick as a wink."

Kitty quickly pecked his cheek. "You just come back and get me in thirty minutes, and I'll be fine."

Scowling fiercely, his face pink after her affectionate kiss, Doc climbed back into the buggy Isom had fetched for them from the barn. "Thirty minutes, and not one minute more…"

"Thanks for the ride, Curly." She gave him a sly smile as he huffed and gave the reins a slap, heading the short distance back toward the ranch house.

As she watched him drive away, Kitty inhaled the delicious spring air, smelling the tender, pale green leaves sprouting on each little branch and tiny twig of the ancient tree behind her, heralding new life on the prairie once again. Kitty turned with a deep sigh and faced the gnarled old oak, its trunk so huge she wouldn't have been able to span it with both arms. It stood like a massive sentinel on the little hilltop, guarding the two graves that lay beneath its sheltering branches, one old, one fairly fresh. She reached in her pocket and retrieved two small posies of March flowers she'd tied together with yellow ribbons, placing one on each grave. Her eyes were reluctantly drawn to the two modest gravestones, one carved "Solomon V. Pierce" and the other "Océane Kathleen Arcenaux Pierce & Infant." Beneath that line, in script beginning to weather away, was inscribed "I shall but love thee better after death."

Kitty drew in a quick breath and hurriedly opened her aunt's journal that she'd brought along. She flipped carefully through the yellowing pages until she found it. Her aunt's favorite poem, painstakingly copied word for word. She'd found it only this morning, and thought it the loveliest thing she'd ever read in her whole life. Wispy tendrils of fiery, titian hair escaped Kitty's thick braid in the soft breeze sweeping over the endless sea of grass, carrying her voice aloft as she read the poem aloud in a hushed voice:

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. _  
_I love thee to the depth and breadth and height _  
_My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight _  
_For the ends of being and ideal Grace. _  
_I love thee to the level of everyday's _  
_Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. _  
_I love thee freely, as men strive for Right. _  
_I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. _  
_I love thee with the passion put to use _  
_In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. _  
_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose _  
_With my lost saints-I love thee with the breath, _  
_Smiles, tears, of all my life!-and, if God choose, _  
_I shall but love thee better after death._

_Sonnet XLIII, Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

A tear rolled hotly down Kitty's cheek as she closed Océane's precious book of confidences and clasped it tightly to her bosom. Her heart swelled in her chest, and she felt so very close to her aunt in that instant, like she'd truly known her. She knew for a fact she understood her. They had so much in common, although many of their mutual life experiences had been, in fact, quite unfortunate and regrettable. But, because of the priceless gift of Océane and Solomon's ranch, Kitty would have a chance to redeem herself, to pull herself up by her bootstraps, just as her aunt had done herself so many years past. She could feel Océane's spirit glowing inside her like a candle, and it gave her strength and courage. "Thank you…" she whispered to them both, and kneeled on the ground beside their graves to read some more of the old journal, wondering what other treasures she might find inside.

tbc

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	21. Chapter 21

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not an expert on Victorian poets or human interrelationships. Don't try any of this at home. Someone could get hurt.

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Chapter 21: Esteem

Kitty sat on the ground leaning against the oak, completely engrossed in her reading, when a rider appeared from the west. The breeze blowing in the branches and through the rough prairie grass hid the sound of the horse's slow approach. The horse and silent rider were upon her before she was remotely aware of it.

"Afternoon, Miss Russell…"

Startled, Kitty clutched the book to her chest.

"I'm sorry, Miss Russell, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh," Kitty said with great relief. "That's alright, Sheriff Ware. I was just reading and I didn't hear you ride up."

The sheriff dismounted and removed his hat. "I trust you are feeling better these days?"

Once again, the sheriff's warm, honeyed voice and his unhurried manner of speaking delighted her. She answered, "Yes, much better. Thank you for asking…" The man obviously originated from south of the Mason-Dixon line.

"But you didn't walk all the way up here by yourself, did you?" The young lawman's brown eyes crinkled at the corners at he questioned her warily.

She hastily replied, "Oh no, Sheriff…"

"Please… Call me Virgil."

"Alright, Virgil." Kitty smiled, her blue eyes sparkling at him. He was such a gentleman. And he knew nothing about her past. It was a very great relief to talk to man who didn't know what she was. _What she used to be_, she reminded herself. Or was it Océane's voice whispering inside her? "Doc drove me up here. As a matter of fact, he's watching me like a hawk right now. Right…over…_there_." She pointed. "Give him a little wave, won't you, Sheriff? I mean…Virgil."

Ware peered across the small valley to the ranch house and saw Doc sitting on the front porch swing, arms crossed across his chest. Even at this comparative distance, the sheriff thought he looked as though he was ferociously scowling. Virgil chuckled, then gave the old man a wave. Doc threw him an annoyed flap of his hand in return. Kitty just laughed.

Smiling, Virgil observed, "Yes, I can see you're feeling much better, Miss…"

"Kitty."

"Kitty… The last time I saw you, you weren't doing well at all."

Kitty's face flushed. "Doc says I was pretty sick. But he and Matt pulled me through all right."

"You're very lucky to have such good friends." Virgil gazed at the utterly striking red-headed young woman, and was sorry indeed that Marshall Matt Dillon seemed to hold Miss Kitty in such high esteem.

"Yes, Virgil, I am. I really am." Kitty's eyes were drawn to the hand holding his hat over his heart. Half of his little finger was completely missing.

Virgil followed her gaze. "I see you noticed my inheritance from the railroad company."

Kitty's mouth popped open. "Excuse me? Inheritance?" She was embarrassed that he'd caught her staring.

"Yes, Miss, I worked for the railroad for a time, but quickly discovered it was not for me. I connected railcars, manually, you see, and it's very easy to lose one's fingers if one is not careful."

Kitty's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my!"

"Oh my, indeed. There's a saying that you can figure out how long an employee has worked for the railway company by how many fingers he's missing."

"That's terrible!"

"Precisely. It only took one unfortunate incident to make me realize that life working the rails was not for me."

Her lips curled into a charming smile. "I think you're a very smart man, Virgil. And I'm glad you're the sheriff of Cimarron now, and not a poor rail worker with no fingers left!"

Virgil threw back his head and laughed. "I appreciate that, Kitty. I truly do." He took her hand gently. "Might I offer you a ride back to the house? It looks as though it might rain soon, and I would hate for you to get your lovely dress wet."

Kitty blushed yet again and answered, "Thank you, Virgil. I'd greatly appreciate it." She tipped her head toward the house and continued drolly, "You'll be saving Doc a little trip, and maybe he won't fuss at me so much in the bargain."

Ware chuckled again. "Yes, I gather that Doc is pretty protective of you, and mighty grumpy at times to boot."

"He can be," Kitty grinned, "especially when I'm not feeling my best."

Virgil mounted and helped Kitty up in front of him as she hitched up one knee in front of her. She felt one of Sheriff Ware's hands wrap warmly around her waist to hold her securely as they rode. By the time they arrived, Doc had apparently gone to fetch Matt, because he was standing, shirtless, considerably grimy, and sweating, in the front yard with a hammer in his hand.

"Oh my," Kitty thought, both because she was admiring his naked, muscled torso, glistening damply in the sun, and also because he looked a bit peeved. Maybe hitching a ride with Sheriff Ware hadn't been the best idea after all.

"Matt, you remember the Sheriff?"

"Kitty, I just spoke with him yesterday."

She coughed a little. "Oh right."

Ware started to help Kitty down from the horse, but Matt quickly strode forward and reached up to take her first. She barely managed to suppress a little squeal when he swept her down off the horse in his big, sweaty arms. He set her down gently, then put his hands on his hips. "Where ya' been, Kitty?"

"Why, Matt, I…"

"You're too weak still to go gallivantin' off to who knows where."

Doc intervened, "Now, Matt, I drove her up to her aunt and uncle's graves. Don't you worry. I had my eye on her the whole entire time. Sheriff Ware here just happened by and gave her a ride back. Don't get yer dander up, son."

Matt looked insulted. "Now, Doc, I wasn't…"

Sheriff Ware quickly spoke to avoid any further misunderstandings. "Marshal Dillon, I actually came by to talk to you."

Matt squinted at him. "You did?"

"Yes, I've got some matters to discuss with you, if you don't mind."

Kitty smiled beatifically. "Oh, he won't mind. Sheriff…I mean, Virgil…." Matt shot her a look. "Won't you stay for supper? Isom is cooking a chicken and my lawyer Irving Hepley will be here as well."

Ware stammered, "Well, I…"

Kitty gave her best pleading expression. "Oh, please, do stay. You and Marshal Dillon can discuss all the matters you'd like." She gave Matt a tiny mischievous smile.

Ware answered, "Well, if you insist."

Matt sighed, "Yeah, we insist. Come on, Ware." He clapped the sheriff on the shoulder and steered him toward the back of the house. "You know anything about fixin' barns?"

Doc wrapped a protective arm around Kitty's shoulders and ushered her toward the front door. He sputtered, "You almost started a war there, young lady, you know that? Why, I oughta' turn you over my knee."

Kitty threw her head back and laughed delightedly as they ambled into the house to rest before supper.

tbc

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	22. Chapter 22

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Do not attempt any of the culinary procedures described within this chapter without first consulting a professional chef.

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Chapter 22: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Kitty sat resting in the parlor, waiting for their dinner guests to arrive. The house was filled with the aroma of Isom's chicken baking in the oven, along with fresh, yeasty bread and apples canned from the ranch orchard, fried on the stove in butter and sugar and cinnamon. She'd offered to help, but Isom had promptly shooed her away and said she should rest some more before company came because she was looking a mite peaked this afternoon.

She smoothed her pretty pale orange skirts over her lap and the color reminded her of a fancy dish of peach ice cream she'd seen a little girl eating through the big window of an ice cream parlor one time a few years ago. She was in Kansas City, and she'd been mighty hungry at the time and would have done anything to have had a taste of that ice cream right then. The tiny blond-haired girl with a big white bow in her hair and two missing teeth right in front had noticed Kitty watching her and waved timidly, ice cream smeared around her rosy little cupid's bow lips. Kitty had smiled and waved back and wondered if she'd ever been so young and innocent.

But now, as she admired her new dress the color of soft, melting ice cream, her heart swelled gratefully in her chest at the thought of how far she'd come since that bleak day. Now she had a whole ranch very nearly in her possession, and she could surely afford some of that fancy ice cream if she wanted some. Yes, indeed, Kitty Russell had certainly come a long way.

Her eyes strayed to a shelf built into the wall near the fireplace. Kitty noticed a tidy row of books with well-worn covers alongside a pretty pink and green flowered china vase that had surely been a treasured possession of her aunt. She imagined Océane picking flowers in her garden or maybe even gathering wildflowers on the prairie and placing them carefully in that vase with some cool water from the well.

Suddenly, she remembered the beautiful poem from the journal, and wondered if it had come from one of those old books. She walked across the creaking wood floor and ran her finger across the slightly dusty spines, reading the titles as she went: Bleak House, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, poems by Tennyson… There it was! Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Kitty slowly pulled the book from the shelf and cracked open the brown leather front cover. It smelled deliciously musty and tantalizingly aged, a priceless treasure to be discovered. Inside the cover in faded ink was inscribed the words, "_To my sweet Oceane, I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. Your humbly devoted Solomon_." Kitty traced her fingertips reverently over the heartfelt words written by her thoughtful uncle many years past and turned to the table of contents. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the sonnet, and she quickly began flipping through the pages to locate it. Suddenly, several papers folded together fell out from between two of the pages. Kitty frowned and leaned over to pick them up from the floor, unfolding them as she walked to the settee. She laid her book of love poems aside and skimmed the contents. She could tell they were business documents of some sort. At the top of the first sheet, in fancy script, it said "Orleans Western Railroad".

A knock at the door startled Kitty from her thoughts. She jumped, and on impulse, quickly refolded the bundle and slid them into her dress pocket.

She hurried to open the door, and her face blanched in surprise. Standing behind her lawyer, Irving Hepley, stood steely-eyed Dempsey McCray with an oily smile twitching slyly at the corners of his mouth.

tbc

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	23. Chapter 23

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. No oily reprobate businessmen were harmed in the writing of this fic.

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Chapter 23: Business

"Oh…" The word slipped out of Kitty's mouth before she could stop it.

Irving Hepley hurriedly removed his hat and greeted her cordially, "Miss Russell. You are looking very lovely this evening. I trust that you're feeling much better."

Her cheeks colored at Dempsey McCray's close scrutiny, but she quickly recovered. "Why, yes, Mr. Hepley. Much better, thank you. Won't you please come in?"

She stepped aside as both men entered, holding her head high as McCray's gaze raked over her form while he passed. She fought back a shudder, refusing to let him get the best of her, her skin crawling as she remembered his heated stare at the riverbank. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?" She hovered by a chair so that McCray would be unable to sit next to her.

"Oh, no, thank you." Hepley smiled cheerily, taking a place on the settee. "We want to remain clear-headed for business, you see."

"Of course," she replied as McCray leaned back on the cushions, on the end of the settee closest to her, crossing his arms and watching her insolently while she perched gingerly on the edge of her chair.

Hepley cleared his throat. "So, you have decided that you want to sell the property, have you?

Kitty answered, "Yes, I'm afraid so. It pains me to part with my aunt and uncle's home, but I can't run a ranch by myself. This place needs to belong to someone who can take care of it." She kept her eyes circumspectly on Hepley. "Perhaps a family. Someone who can make their own lifetime of memories here."

Mr. Hepley replied, "Well, Miss Russell, we can surely help you with the details. Mr. McCray will be a very great boon to you as we go about finding a buyer."

She refused to look at McCray as he smiled his oily smile at her and lazily crossed his legs. He drawled in a low voice, "Do you intend to make repairs before the sale? I understand the flood caused quite a bit of damage to the outlying buildings and fences." The corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes continued to slide over her body. The man was truly odious. "You may have to take a considerable loss on the sale."

She gave a tiny shiver as she imagined him picturing her as she was that fateful day after she and Matt were nearly killed in a mudslide, but she gave him no indication that he affected her in the least. "Why, I'm not sure. That's one of the reasons we invited you out here…" She looked pointedly at Hepley since he was the one who had been invited, most certainly not McCray. "Perhaps you can advise me what I should do."

At that moment Matt walked into the parlor, his eyes lighting on Dempsey McCray. Kitty saw the hate in his hard stare and the muscles in his jaw clench as he took a step toward McCray. She quickly stood and intercepted, "Matt…" she explained carefully as she put a gently warning hand on his arm, "Mr. McCray has come to help with the sale and to advise me on the property repairs."

Matt looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. She didn't want him to make a big deal out of this, to call attention to her earlier indiscretion at the riverside by threatening the man. Matt's expression softened. "Alright, Hepley, let's go out and look around while we wait for supper." He glared at McCray. "You come, too." He glanced at Kitty meaningfully, "Why don't you stay here and rest? You're not up to walking around very much yet. I'll show them around." He pointed the way toward the back door of the house, through the kitchen, and watched them open the back door.

Matt Dillon pulled Kitty close, whispering in her ear. "I'm going to keep you as far away from that bastard as I can. Besides, Sheriff Ware will be back here soon." He glanced to make sure no one was looking back and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Don't be too charming around him, alright?" She smiled playfully and watched as he headed out the door to join the lawyer and his associate, throwing her a backwards glance and a wink.

She turned and looked out the window, and right then she spotted Sheriff Virgil Ware ride up in the front yard and tie off his horse's reins, then walk across the porch, hat in hand. Kitty noticed his dark hair was still wet from a bath, slicked back from his pleasant face. He wore a nice suit, string tie and boots that looked like they'd been polished recently. Sheriff Ware was a very attractive man, indeed.

She went to the door before he could knock and opened it with a wide smile, inhaling the masculine scent of something he'd used in his toilette that was very becoming. "Sheriff… Virgil..." she blushed. I'm so glad you could come." She wasn't used to dealing with men who didn't want to pay for her services. This was taking some getting used to. Her hand slipped in her pocket and touched the business documents headed "Orleans Western Railroad" she'd found stashed in her aunt's book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems and smiled again as she glanced down at his missing little finger. "Virgil, I have something here I'd like to ask you about."

tbc

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	24. Chapter 24

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Only free-range, hormone-free chickens were used in the cooking of this meal.

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Chapter 24: Come & Get It

In the warm, spacious ranch house kitchen, Kitty sat between Matt and Doc on a long wooden bench. They were pulled up to the supper table, covered by a red and white checked tablecloth. She was positive they'd placed themselves on either side of her by mutual silent agreement. That left Hepley, Ware and McCray, unfortunately, to sit directly opposite her. She could feel McCray's incessant, insidious stare in spite of the fact that she refused to even favor him with a glance. The man gave her the willies, like he was still watching her naked on the riverbank.

Isom sat at the head of the table so that he could carve the beautifully browned bird and serve. He'd actually baked two chickens for this much company, but he was mighty pleased to be feeding all these folks. Isom was an excellent cook, and it would be a shame if he had to leave this place, Kitty thought guiltily. He began passing around heaping bowls of mashed potatoes and home grown green beans, left over from last summer's canning and seasoned liberally with bacon grease, plus fried apples and fresh, hot bread served with sweet butter. "Go on, he'p yerself," he enthusiastically urged. He then merrily promised them all peach pie for dessert, which was still baking right then so they could smell the aroma of crust and sugared fruit cooking. Isom assured them they'd get to eat it still warm from the oven.

Isom noticed Kitty just barely picking at her food and admonished her, "Now, Miss Russell, is sumthin' not to yer likin'? Cause you ain't eatin' hardly anything a'tall!"

Doc agreed heartily, "Isom, you can't tell that stubborn woman anything. I've been trying to get her to eat but she just…"

Kitty rushed to explain, "Oh, Isom, it's all so delicious. But I'm not myself just yet. I'm still getting my appetite back." She smiled graciously at him and gave Doc a good-natured poke in the ribs making him grunt. "But I promise, I'll eat every last bite. You're a fine cook, Isom Dewey."

Isom beamed contentedly and dug into his potatoes, dripping with rich gravy.

Sheriff Ware chimed in, "Isom, this is the best food I've put in my mouth in a very long time. So, tell me, are you going to stay on here after the sale?"

Isom looked thoughtful, "Yes, sir, I hope t' stay on. This has been my home for many a year, and I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't a'workin' here." He took a decisive bite of buttered bread and ruminated on the situation.

"Well, I am sure that the prospective buyer…" Ware cleared his throat and looked directly at Kitty, "…whomever he might be, would greatly appreciate your talents and keep you in his employ, sir. He would be a fool if he did not."

Isom grinned, "Why thank ya', sir. I do 'preciate the compliment."

Matt changed the subject. "So, you men are in agreement…that Kitty should try to repair what she can afford to, in order to make as much money out of the sale as possible?"

McCray took a long draw from his coffee mug and squinted, "Yeah, Miss Russell will take a considerable loss if she sells outright. I would advise that she make repairs. It would be well worth her time and money."

Kitty looked at Matt instead of McCray when she spoke, "Money…" she said drily. "That's what it all boils down to..." She sighed heavily.

McCray held up his cup and asked Isom, "You got any more hot coffee?"

"Sure, let me git it for ya'…"

McCray waved a hand dismissively, "No, no, I got it. You worked hard on this here meal. It's the least I can do." He walked to the stove and grabbed a fresh pot.

Kitty began softly, "Matt, I don't know if I have the cash to…"

McCray was at her elbow suddenly. "More coffee?" He held the pot aloft.

"No, thanks…" she frowned.

Virgil Ware responded, "More here, please." As McCray was leaning across the table, he brushed against Kitty. She quickly leaned away from him, into Matt, so that she wouldn't have to touch McCray. Suddenly, the coffee pot crashed to the table, spilling the contents on the clean checkered tablecloth.

Everyone jumped up from the table and began grabbing towels to clean up the mess, moving plates and food to the cabinet nearby.

McCray exclaimed sheepishly, "I am so sorry about all of this. I'm so clumsy."

Isom gathered the tablecloth and tut-tutted his response. "Don't you worry, Mr. McCray, it'll be jest fine. The coffee spilled on the table, not on the food."

Kitty cleaned the bare table with a wet rag, and Doc wiped it dry. Matt and Ware hurriedly cleaned a few spills from the floor.

Isom added comfortingly, "Let's jest put our plates back on the table, and it'll be fine and dandy."

Everyone's plate made it back to their own place setting with very little doubt as to which dish was Kitty's, Doc fussed, because she had the most food nearly untouched. They all gave a sigh as they sat back down and began eating peacefully for a while. After a big bite of chicken, Matt waved his fork in the air, asking Ware, "You know of anyone locally who might be interested in purchasing this property?"

Ware answered cagily over the rim of his coffee cup, "I might…"

"Who?" Doc and Kitty asked simultaneously.

"It depends on if the askin' price is right," he smiled.

"You?" Kitty exclaimed.

"Maybe." Ware chuckled at her expression and took another swig of his coffee. "Man's gotta settle down one of these days. Bein' a lawman is a dangerous job. I might not live long if I keep at it."

Kitty and Doc both looked pointedly at Matt. Matt cleared his throat and studiously examined his potatoes.

"You see, Matt, this here is a sensible young fella'," Doc chuckled, then looked at the others. "Why, you know, I've taken so many bullets outta Matt Dillon in the few years I've known him… Well I've lost count…" He elbowed Kitty and said, "Don't you agree it's time Matt should get himself settled and…" Doc's expression changed. "Kitty, what's the matter?"

Matt looked at Kitty and her expression was queer. She was holding her abdomen. "I don't know… My stomach hurts…"

Matt asked, "You all right? You need to go lie down? Maybe all this excitement was too much for you."

"No, really, I'll be all right," Kitty objected. "Can I just have some water please?"

Ware jumped up. "Let me get it."

Doc felt her pulse and grunted, "This is not right. Kitty, you need to lie down right now. Let's get you to bed."

"All right… " Kitty stood up weakly and replied, "I'm feeling a little queasy anyway."

Matt took her arm and worriedly asked, "Can you walk? Do you need help?"

Her thready voice answered, "No, I'm fine… I'm just…awfully dizzy." She gripped his arm more tightly. "The room is spinning, Matt."

Without further objection, Matt picked her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom, Doc following quickly behind.

The remaining four men sat with varying expressions, looking at each other.

Hepley was the first to speak, "What on earth? I mean, I hope she's not had a relapse. She has been terribly sick, you know."

Ware supplied, "She was feeling fine earlier today. We had a nice little visit."

"Well, I sure do hope it weren't somethin' she ate," Isom answered grimly. "I'd never forgive myself if it was my cookin' what made her sick."

McCray was the only one silent, staring in the direction of Kitty's bedroom. Suddenly, Doc burst out of her door, crying, "Ware!"

The sheriff's head jerked up tensely, "Yes, Doc, what can I do?"

Doc's face was frantic. "You've got to go to town for me. I need some supplies, quick. Kitty's been poisoned."

tbc

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	25. Chapter 25

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_.

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Chapter 25: Antidote for Murder

The next morning, Matt leaned over the bed and whispered in Kitty's ear, "I'll be back soon, Kitten, I promise. You'll never even know I was gone." With that, he kissed her on the cheek and nodded at Doc who reassured him, "We'll be fine. I'll take good care of her, Matt, don't you worry."

Matt saddled Buck and rode him into Cimarron to Irving Hepley's law office. Hepley greeted him anxiously, "Marshal Dillon! What happened after we left? How is Miss Russell?"

Matt looked grimly at him and removed his hat. "It was a close call, Mr. Hepley." McCray entered from a back office and listened silently. "But Doc pulled her through. He says she's gonna be okay with a lot of rest."

Hepley cautiously questioned, "Does Doc know how it happened?"

Matt grimaced, "Arsenic poisoning. I still can't figure it out." He rubbed his hand thoughtfully over his face. "Isom says he's been using rat poison around the house lately. I guess it could have…" Matt shook his head in frustration. "I don't know…"

Sympathetically, Hepley responded, "How awful. She's a very lucky girl that she did not die."

Matt answered firmly, "Yeah, you're right. You are very right. But Doc assures me she's going to be just fine. That's the only reason I'm leaving."

McCray spoke up for the first time. "Leaving?"

"Yeah, I hate to, but I'm needed back in Dodge. Legal proceedings that require my presence. I wish I could get out of it, but I can't." Matt stuck a thumb in his gun belt. "But I know ol' Doc will take good care of her while I'm gone." He scratched his head. "Hepley, you could look in on her, too, while I'm gone, can't you? I won't be in Dodge but a couple of days at the most. It would ease my mind knowing that someone else is keeping an eye on her."

"But of course, Marshal Dillon. I would consider it a duty and a privilege. She is my client, after all, and I want her feeling well as soon as possible. And Miss Russell is such a charming young lady. I have come to enjoy her company very much. It would be a pleasure, you see." Irving Hepley's face flushed self-consciously.

Matt expression was still dismal. "I appreciate it. That makes me feel a little better. I'd better be off now. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get back to the ranch. Thanks, Hepley." Matt intentionally left McCray's name out.

Hepley cleared his throat. "We'll see you upon your return, Marshal Dillon, and get back to the business of selling the ranch once Miss Russell is up to it. I say, she has suffered a string of bad luck lately, has she not?"

Matt placed his hat back on his head and nodded cheerlessly. "Yes, she has, Mr. Hepley. She most certainly has. I'll see you in a couple of days."

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In the dark of night under a waning silver moon, Kitty lay quietly in her bed, Doc ensconced securely in the next room. She nestled deeper into the covers and sighed, wondering what on earth could happen next. So many disasters had befallen this whole journey from the very beginning, that it made her wonder if it were meant for her to inherit this ranch or not. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself, wondering if sleep might finally overtake her.

In the black shadows of the hulking barn, a lone form crept stealthily closer to the back of the silent house, icy gray eyes shining in the semidarkness. He checked his gun, and watchfully surveyed the area for any movement. Stepping away from the wooden structure to get a better look at the side of the house, he suddenly felt cold steel at his temple and the ominous cocking of a trigger. "Don't move, McCray…" Sheriff Virgil Ware pointed his gun unwaveringly at McCray's head and bit out the words, "Funny time of day to take a walk, don't you think?"

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Kitty turned onto her side and breathed evenly in the darkness of her bedroom. As the curtains fluttered in the breeze, a furtive shadow slipped silently through her open window and slunk closer to the side of her bed. He stood absolutely motionlessly, like a snake about to strike, save for his shallow, frightened breathing, and watched her furtively in the darkness. His hand noiselessly reached for a pillow, and he held it aloft, directly above her lovely face, steeling himself to smother the life out of her. And in that instant, he heard the angry snick of a gun trigger. The figure clutching the pillow froze dead in his tracks. A match was struck and a lamp lighted, revealing all at last. Matt Dillon held a gun to his back, and Kitty Russell sat up in bed pointing a small gun at his torso with a fierce expression on her face. Irving Hepley dropped the pillow and held his hands in the air, shaking in fear.

tbc

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	26. Chapter 26

Set Fire to the Rain 2

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. I am not legally responsible for any of Chester's actions whatsoever in the following chapter.

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Chapter 26: Chester Saves the Day

"Chester!" Kitty cried excitedly, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight, making him turn beet red and giggle senselessly in delighted embarrassment. Kitty happily grabbed his hand and tugged him inside the parlor, making him hop-step to keep up with her. "Hey, everybody, Chester's here!" Kitty called.

Chester limped over to the settee where he would have more room to get his awkward, stiff leg situated as Doc and Matt entered from the kitchen where they'd been drinking coffee with Isom.

"Why, Chester! I've missed you," Doc grinned as he shook his hand eagerly. "You young scoundrel, you!"

"Well, thank ya' kindly, Doc." Chester ducked his head and grinned shyly. "Truth be told, things ain't been the same round Dodge with you all gone. I've been feelin' purty lonesome lately."

Matt clapped Chester on the shoulder and gripped his hand so tightly that Chester winced a little bit. "Thanks for comin', Chester. We need your help around here so we can get this place ready for sale."

Chester asked, "So, you really are a'gonna sell it, Miss Kitty?"

"Yeah, Chester, I do hate to let go of something that was a part of my family's history." Kitty sighed and raked a curl behind her ear, "but I don't belong out here. I don't know the first thing about runnin' a ranch, and I can use the money from the sale to make a brand new start for myself in Dodge."

Chester's eyes widened. "A new start?"

"Yeah, I might be making a little investment in my future with this money." Kitty glanced at Matt and gave a small, secretive smile. "But it's too early to tell yet, so I'll let ya' know…"

Doc squinted at her. "More intrigue? I don't know if I can stand anymore of that. We've had enough mystery and secrets around here lately to last a lifetime." He shook his head and looked at Chester. "At least for me, anyways. I'm too old for this kinda' thing."

Chester's forehead wrinkled. "Mystery? Now, I'll tell ya', I don't know what in Sam Hill 'intrigue' is, but I shore know what a mystery is. You got mysterious goin's on way out here, Miss Kitty?"

Kitty admonished, "Now, Doc…"

"Don't you 'Now, Doc' me, young lady…" Doc scrubbed his mustache furiously. "Chester, somebody tried to kill Kitty not once, mind you, but twice." Doc hesitated and looked in the air, then amended his calculations, "No! Three! Three times! By thunder…!"

Chester's eyes became round as saucers. "Oh no, Miss Kitty, what happened?"

Matt interrupted, grimacing. "Chester, it's a long story. But there was a hotel fire set on purpose, and then when that didn't work, they tried to poison her."

"Fire? Poison?" Chester was slack-jawed. "Why, heavens to Betsy… Miss Kitty, are you alright?"

Kitty tried to get a word in edgewise, "Yes, Chester, I'm just fine, really…"

Doc was wound up though. He spluttered, "She's only alright thanks to Sheriff Ware. He'd been investigating around town after the fire. He knew it wasn't accidental. Ware heard through the grapevine that a man who worked for Kitty's lawyer was seen purchasing arsenic. He put two and two together. Came out here and warned us."

"We were ready for them," Matt explained. "At dinner, we watched and waited and they made their move. I never saw the poison, but Kitty took her cue and acted up a storm like a poisoning victim."

"I had told her the symptoms of arsenic poisoning," Doc supplied, pleased that he'd been a part of the conspiracy. "She's quite a little actress, Chester."

Matt's chest puffed out as he exclaimed, "She's a regular Lily Langtry, I tell ya'!"

Kitty chided self-consciously, "Oh, Matt… You two, just hush and tell the story."

Chester jumped up from the settee and started pacing the room anxiously in his hippity-hop gait. "My, oh, my, Miss Kitty… That's just terrible, all you been through."

Matt continued, "Well, that's not the worst of it."

Chester stopped dead in his tracks, dark eyebrows reaching for the sky.

Doc thundered indignantly, "They tried to smother her in her bed!"

Chester gasped, "No!" He took off his hat, fanned himself with it a bit, then set it on the fireplace mantel. "You don't say…"

Doc retorted, "Yes! Yes, they did, Chester! But Sheriff Ware and Matt were waiting for them. It was a beautiful setup, I must say. I was worried to death, but it worked. Even Kitty had a gun, hidden under her blankets. She wasn't taking any chances." Doc shook his head and chuckled. "Irving Hepley was shaking in his shoes with Kitty Russell pointing her gun at him. She was a mighty brave girl."

"Irving Hepley? Ain't that Miss Kitty's own lawyer?"

Matt grumbled, "Yeah, Chester, and the rest we haven't quite figured out yet. Those two aren't talking. Maybe they're hoping to avoid prosecution if there's no motive for their crime. But we don't know why on earth they were trying to kill Kitty."

"Oh fer goodness sakes, Miss Kitty, I just don't know what to think…" Chester shook his head and tiredly leaned back with an elbow placed on the built-in bookshelf on the wall next to the fireplace. His arm knocked over the beautiful vase that once belonged to Océane.

"Oh, Chester!" Kitty cried.

Chester scrambled to grab the vase as it rolled off the shelf, juggling it a few times back and forth. Papers flew out as he clutched it desperately to his chest and grinned weakly. "Got it…heh…"

Kitty sighed in relief, but then went to retrieve the wad of papers that had flown out when Chester was doing his juggling act. Matt and Doc squeezed in on either side of her on the small settee as she unfolded the yellowed documents. They read aloud, looking over her shoulder, "Last Will and Testament."

Chester gingerly set the china vase back on the shelf, adjusting it just so, then crossed his arms and finally chose to jam his hands securely in his pockets. He blew out a relieved breath and finally asked, "What's it say, Miss Kitty? Whose will is it?"

Doc shushed him with a finger raised in the air as the three read silently for a while.

Kitty finally declared, "Matt, this leaves Solomon's entire estate to his lawyer."

Matt and Doc spoke together, "Irving Hepley."

Doc pointed to the will. "This one is dated several years ago. Solomon Pierce didn't have any family to leave his estate to at the time."

Kitty explained, "So he left it to his friend and lawyer, Hepley."

Matt added ominously, "And then you came along, Kitty."

Kitty frowned, "I sure was the fly in his ointment."

"Thanks, Chester!" Matt grinned from ear to ear.

Chester blinked. "What in tarnation for?"

Matt stood up and put his arm around Chester's relatively small shoulders. "You found my motive!"

"I did?"

Doc crowed, "Who'da thunk he had it in 'im?!"

Kitty rose and merrily kissed an astonished Chester on his cheek, "I knew Chester had it in him all along."

tbc

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	27. Chapter 27

Set Fire to the Rain 

_This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship. _The setting is First Season, post-_The Preacher_. Any historical, medical, psychological, geographical, agricultural, biological, financial or scientific errors in this story are completely the fault of the author as I am an expert at nothing at all save happy endings.

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Chapter 27: The Height My Soul Can Reach

Sleep remained elusive for the lovely young woman reclining upon the chaise lounge by her bedroom window. She wore only a loosely flowing, gossamer white nightgown edged in satin ribbon, and any man fortuitous enough to catch a glimpse of her at this moment in time might be forgiven if he mistook her for that most enchanting of goddesses, Aphrodite, who sprang from the sea fully grown, goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Her abundant red hair was twisted into a thick, ropey braid over one shoulder lightly sanded with freckles, bare where her aunt Océane's nightdress refused to stay up on pale, silken skin the color of milky sea foam.

Kitty Russell gazed outside at the bewitching slice of shimmering moon, absently tracing smooth patterns on the windowsill with her restless fingers. She listened to the ancient, comforting chorus sung by frogs down at the Arkansas, while her thoughts mostly dwelled on her handsome young lawman and the ache she felt inside when they'd been forced to say good night in the parlor before bed.

While she was extremely grateful that Chester was here, helping her make repairs at the ranch, he also made things considerably more difficult for the two young lovers. Matt had promised to come visit her in her bedroom again, but he'd been unable to keep that promise as he and Chester had been so busy with mending fences and barns. And at night, Chester slept on the settee in the parlor, or even on the floor, when he said his bones ached from sleeping so cramped up. Matt couldn't very well slip inside her room at night with Chester right there, ever watchful.

Kitty felt badly that she'd been unable to help with the ranch reparations herself, and when she'd tried to join them one day, it'd set off a strident male chorus of displeasure, all of them claiming she was still not entirely well yet. Doc swore up and down he wouldn't be held accountable if she had a complete and total relapse, and that she was to get back into the house and rest right this very minute.

She'd pouted a little, but she'd gone. She wouldn't have been a whole lot of use to them anyway. Kitty couldn't even hammer a nail in straight. So she'd puttered in the kitchen with Isom, helping to fix dinner, until even he shooed her off, claiming she was looking plumb peaked again and needed to lie down for a spell. Sometimes she wondered if she'd ever be completely well again.

Kitty looked around her pretty bedroom, cast in inky nighttime shadows, wondering not for the first time if this had been Oceane's sanctuary in her lifetime. She hugged herself as she thought of all the things she had to thank her aunt for. It had been she who had made the ranch repairs possible. Apparently Océane's rainy day savings had been wisely invested in the booming Orleans Western Railroad. Virgil confirmed that the small company had since been bought out by a much larger one a few years ago, but the stocks were still good, and she'd been able to sell them for the much needed funds for building supplies.

Kitty's dear friends were doing all the work, even Virgil, whom she'd come to understand had a keen interest in the place. He'd assured her that he'd always admired the ranch and wanted very much to buy it from her, and to her very great relief, fully intended to keep on Isom and even Big Sam the faithful yellow lab. Kitty couldn't help but wonder where Virgil Ware was getting his money—railroad work and a sheriff's pay weren't quite commensurate with purchasing a ranch outright, but she didn't want to pry. She was just awful curious about the quiet-spoken young man's past was all.

Suddenly, she heard her door creak the tiniest bit and she eagerly turned her head to see Matt tiptoeing in on stocking feet, dressed only in his union suit and pants. She put her hand over her mouth to contain the exclamation of surprise that threatened to burst out, her eyes twinkling happily. Kitty stretched out her arms to Matt as he slipped noiselessly across the floor and pulled him down on the chaise opposite her.

"I didn't wake you, then?" he asked under his breath.

"No, I couldn't sleep at all!" Squeezing his hands, she pulled her chilly feet beneath her as she settled closer to him.

"You weren't moonin' over that handsome young sheriff now, were you?"

"Oh, Matt!" She pressed her lips into a thin line and balled her fists on her hips playfully.

He grinned at her. "Well, he did say you were welcome to come back any time to visit your family's ranch."

"He's just being nice, Matt."

"Well, yes and no. He's sweet on you, Kitty."

"He is not! He's just being friendly, I told you."

"Well, in any case, if you come back here to visit, it'll be with me along for the ride."

"Don't you trust me, Matt?"

"Oh, I trust you. But I don't know that I trust him with a girl as pretty and sweet as you, Kitty Russell."

Her blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and she threw her arms around Matt Dillon's neck. She'd never felt like this about anyone in her life. Her big marshal just seemed too good to be true sometimes. How come he loved her so much? Why was he so good to her, a common saloon girl? It was a mystery to her still, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Kitty's thoughts wandered again to her aunt's favorite poem, so lovely it made her chest ache, so simple and so very true: _How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…_

She hugged Matt's neck even tighter until he made a little strangled sound and chuckled. He raked his hand through his rumpled dark curls. "You must be feelin' better cause you're gettin' your strength back, little lady!"

She let go, biting her lip and wrinkling her nose at him impishly. "How on earth did you manage to sneak away?"

"Well, both Doc and Chester were sawing logs like thunder, so I figured I could slip in here pretty easy, and neither of them would be the wiser." He chucked her softly under her chin. "But it's pretty dadgum late, you know. I can leave if you're tired…"

"Oh, don't you dare, Matt Dillon…" Her eyes gleamed at him as she watched his gaze travel appreciatively over her voluptuous figure, scarcely concealed by gauzy white cotton.

She leaned closer and rubbed her cheek against his smooth one. "Mmm… You shaved again?"

"Just for you, sweetheart."

"You shaved just for me?"

"Is that so surprising?" Matt's deep voice tickled her low in her belly.

"You knew you were gonna' slip in here, tonight didn't you, Cowboy?"

"Maybe I did, honey," he murmured, brushing his lips invitingly across her cheek. "Maybe I did…"

"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" She drew back and looked into his blue eyes, fringed with black lashes that made her heart constrict. He had the sweetest eyes, she thought for the hundredth time that day, inhaling his scent. He smelled of shaving soap and…was that a little hint of fancy toilet water? She was astounded and murmured quietly, "And you smell so good, too…"

"As good as Virgil Ware?"

"Oh, Matt, stop that." She slipped her arms around his broad shoulders, rubbed her cheek against his again like a cat and breathed deeply. "_You_ smell better. I could take a bite outta' you, Matt Dillon…"

"Kitty, I don't think you're quite up to…"

"Now, Cowboy, don't you tell me what I'm up to," she purred as she pressed her soft lips against his, kissing him deeply.

Matt groaned and wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her lithe, cotton-clad body tightly against his. They kissed urgently, their desire multiplied because of the enforced days apart in the company of others who might not understand the marshal and the saloon girl's extreme need for each other. He pulled her into his lap, her legs readily wrapping around his waist, and they kissed over and over until their lips were swollen and slick and they were both breathless with hunger for each other.

Kitty broke away, gasping, "Oh, Matt, I want to feel your skin…" She fumbled with the buttons of his union suit and tugged it down off his shoulders and arms, kissing his broad chest, leaving trails of fire wherever her scorching lips touched and her tongue heatedly swirled.

"Kitty…" Matt hissed. "Shouldn't we…oh honey…shouldn't we stop? You shouldn't be…"

She pulled away, her eyes burning with need, and stripped the sheer nightgown over her head, baring her body to the young marshal's searing gaze. His eyes raked over her full, heaving breasts and generous hips, and his hands instinctively reached out to touch her everywhere at once. His objections were forgotten at the overwhelming sight of his sweet, sweet girl, naked and wanton in his lap. His calloused hands swept over her skin, smoothing over her curves, tracing her sweet spots, until she dropped her head back and sighed helplessly. He slid his long fingers around the back of her head, trailing his lips over her silken neck and shoulders, nipping at her milky throat with his tongue and teeth, until her head was limp and her eyes closed with uninhibited yearning. He clutched her thick braid and pulled her gently but firmly closer, kissing her long and deep, his hot mouth eagerly exploring hers while his hand cupped an ample breast that molded perfectly to his palm.

His thumb stroked her tight, pink rosebud nipple until he felt her center grinding against his hips, and then her hand began fumbling for his waistband. He stopped, and they looked breathlessly into one another's eyes. He felt her hands struggling to unbutton his pants, freeing his hot, silken length, sliding over the fevered skin, her thumb sliding over the creamy drops on the tip until he groaned aloud.

She placed her small hand over his mouth, her eyes darting to the door. "You want Chester busting in here right now, Cowboy?"

Through gritted teeth, Matt bit out the words as Kitty's hand continued to slide inexorably up and down on his impressive length, "I think I'd shoot him outright."

Kitty leaned over to lave heatedly at his rosy, pebbled skin, her breath tickling as she whispered against his chest. "I want you inside me, Matt Dillon."

He slid a hand between her legs, his fingers exploring her secret flesh, and she drew in a quick, whimpering breath as he murmured in a low, tortured tone, "God, you're so wet, Kitty."

"I'm ready for you. I need you so bad, Matt." She leaned over and placed a hot, suckling kiss on the head of his engorged manhood and breathed, "I need you inside me."

No further discussion was needed. He embraced her slim waist, lifting her gently, and slipped inside her slowly, slowly, so as not to hurt her. Breathing deeply and deliberately, she let her inner muscles adjust to his large size while his hand comfortingly stroked her smooth back. Her wide, sapphire eyes never left his, not for a moment. When she was ready, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he clutched her round bottom, and they rocked together as one slowly, so slowly still. She gave a small cry at the utter intimacy of the moment, kissing her lover's lips desperately, gripping his shoulders, pressing her aching breasts into his hard chest. It was so slow and so gentle that it lasted an eternity, their sweet intimate embrace. They remained joined together as one in the pearly moonlight, rocking, rocking together until she whispered in his ear, "I love you, Matt Dillon. With all my heart." She kissed the corner of his mouth with tender lips. She began regretfully, "My past..." But Matt hushed her with a tip of his finger to her lips.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she confessed to him, "I've never loved anyone like this before."

He huskily urged, "Promise me you'll never go back. Those days are over."

Gasping as he moved rhythmically inside her, she sighed ardently, "I promise… I promise."

"And I'll always be here for you, Kitty Russell." He reached down where they were joined and kneaded her sensitive, swollen feminine flesh. "I'll always be here. Whenever you need me."

She threw her head back and her lips parted soundlessly as her body responded to his soft, searching touch, her private, inner muscles embracing his hard length. He came inside her, passionately, hotly, and he held her securely against him as he thought to himself that he would never let her go.

Exhausted, her supple body wrapped around his skin on skin, she whispered tiredly against his neck, "I love thee to the depth…" Kitty Russell touched her lips tenderly to his throat. "…and breadth…" Another sweet kiss. "…and height my soul can reach…" She tilted her head back to gaze devotedly into his blue eyes as he smiled sleepily at her, his fingers tracing lazy paths over her bare back. "You've made me new again, Matt Dillon. I'm never looking back."

End

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